The Power Locked Within
by Kaygi
Summary: Avari's parents were killed, but life seemed to go on. She came to live with her GreatAunt Genkai. She started a new school, made new friends, kept her job at Spirit World, but someone's after her. Or rather, something she has. YusukeXOC Rated T for lang.
1. Genkai's Grandniece

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters or anything, though I wish I did! I'm just a really, really... huge fan of it!

**A/n-** So, this is my first YYH fan fiction that I'm writing on here. It may not be that good, but I will do my best and tell me what you think! Enjoy!

And So the story begins...

**Chapter One: Genkai's Grandniece**

**WAM!** Yusuke was sent flying toward the dojo wall by one of Genkai's overpowering kicks.

"Dammit! Did you have to attack so suddenly you old hag!" Yusuke exclaimed as he slowly stood up, rubbing the back of his head.

"Maybe if you hadn't let your guard down, you could've blocked it, dimwit!" Genkai yelled back.

Genkai resumed her fighting stance and Yusuke did the same. The fight continued. Both ran at each other and threw their punches and attacks.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm finally here, Aunt Genkai," a voice coming from the doorway said.

Yusuke and Genkai stopped dead in their tracks and looked over to see a girl about Yusuke's age standing in the doorway. She had shoulder-length, silver hair that was flipped out and eyes that were a stunning shade of purple.

"Avi-chan!" Genkai said in surprise. "You weren't supposed to arrive for another few days."

"I know, but things change," she replied, meekly smiling.

"Well then, how about some tea? You probably would like something after such a long trip," Genkai said, walking toward the door.

"Wait! Aren't you going to introduce your friend?" the girl said, while pointing to battered and beaten Yusuke.

"Oh, the dimwit. He can introduce himself. Follow me," Genkai answered, walking out the door and down the hall.

"So much for an introduction," Yusuke muttered, but he then turned to Avari and said, "Yo! I'm Yusuke Urameshi."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Avari Raji," she said.

"So... What are you here for? Training?" Yusuke questioned.

"Uh... I guess you could say I'm here for a visit," Avari responded, with a hint if sadness in her voice. Yusuke noticed it, but just shrugged it off. There were a few moments of silence between the two.

"We should probably follow Genkai," Avari finally said.

They both headed out the door and into the hallway to the kitchen where Genkai was.

**-In the Kitchen-**

"Would you like milk or honey in your tea, Avi-chan?" Genkai asked.

"Honey will be fine," Avari answered from her seat at the kitchen table. She was sitting across from Yusuke with Genkai at the head of the table fixing the tea. Genkai handed everyone their cup of tea.

"So Yusuke, are you a student of Genkai's or...?" Avari asked after taking a sip of her hot tea.

"Student. Grandma over here held a sort of competition to see who was worthy of her training and I won," Yusuke said looking quite proud.

"Wow. You must be quite the fighter to be worthy of Genkai. She's taught me everything I know. Maybe sometime we could spar," Avari said.

"That'd be cool. How long are you staying here with Genkai?" Yusuke said.

"You know, I'm not too sure," Avari said, looking a little sad again. She quickly finished her tea and got up from her seat. "Well, .._yawn.. _I'm really tired out from my trip. I think I'll go take a nap. Thank you for the tea, Aunt Genkai. I'll probably be seeing both of you later." She made her way toward the door, slid it open and walked out into the hall, closing the door again behind her.

"Why did she leave so suddenly?" Yusuke asked. "Was it something I said?"

"I think you should know why she is here, Yusuke," Genkai said, looking over at Yusuke. "She's here because recently her parents were killed by a band of demons. I'm the only other family she has, so she will be living with my from now on."

"Oh. No wonder she seemed so depressed and sad," Yusuke said, finally understanding.

"She just needs to have a little more time to get over the loss and then you'll see her perk up," Genkai said.

"Ok," Yusuke replied taking the last sip of his tea and getting up form his chair. "I don't know about you grandma, but I'm beat. I'll see you later." Yusuke started making his way toward the door, but Genkai got up quickly and grabbed a hold of his shirt.

"And just where do you think your going? You still have another 2 hours of training," Genkai said, as she dragged Yusuke out the door and down the hall back to the training hall for two more 'fun-filled' hours of heartless training.

**-To Be Continued...**


	2. Sad Tears and School Uniforms

**A/n-** Thanks to the people who reviewed! You really made me feel good and I'm really glad you liked the 1st Chapter! And yes, this is going to be a Yusuke/Avari fanfiction, so Yusuke can just forget about Keiko! Also, I apologize that it took so long to get this one up, my internet hasn't been working because of a thunderstorm we had and plus I've been really busy with school and sports and things... And now what you've all been waiting for, Chapter Two!

**Chapter Two: Sad Tears and School Uniforms**

After Yusuke had finished his training with Genkai, he left and went home. Genkai made her way to her room from the training hall to go to sleep. On her way there, she heard sobbing coming from a nearby room. She followed the sound and came to Avari's room. Quietly, she opened the door and saw Avari lying on her bed in tears.

"Avi-chan?" Genkai said softly. "Are you alright?"

Avari sat up as she heard Genkai's voice and wiped away some tears.

"Not _..hiccup.._ really," Avari replied, bursting into tears again.

"Calm down. Everything's going to be just fine," Genkai said, while sitting next to Avari and giving her a hug.

"It's just that _..sniff.._ I could have done more to... to... save them... my parents..."Avari said while still crying. "It's all my fault that... that.. they died...!"

"You listen here. Your parents fought bravely and it wasn't your fault that they were killed. There was nothing you could do. It wasn't your fault, so stop blaming yourself," Genkai said slightly sternly. "I'm sure that they wouldn't want you to be so worked up over it. Your stronger than that, I know you are and you know that, too."

Avari's tears and sobs began to subside after Genkai said this.

"I guess your right," Avari finally said. "I know they would just want me to get on with my life."

"That's the Avi-chan I know! Now go back to sleep. You start school in the morning," Genkai said, getting up from her seat next to Avari.

"What! Are you crazy!" Avari exclaimed in outrage. "I can't-!"

"It's already been settled. In the morning, Yusuke is coming by to walk you to school, like I asked him, and that's final," Genkai said, walking toward the door.

"Oh! Yusuke's walking me to school?" Avari asked as her eyes seemed to light up.

"I knew that would cheer you up," Genkai said with a slight chuckle. "Good night, Avi-chan."

"Good night, Aunt Genkai," Avari replied as she crawled into her bed and put her head down on the pillow.

Genkai turned off the light and walked out of Avari's bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her. She then made her way to her room and went to sleep as well.

**-In the Morning-**

"Avi-chan! Avi-chan! Wake up!" Genkai said as she slightly shook Avari.

Avari groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "Just five more minutes!" Avari said in a slightly annoyed voice.

"You need to get up now or you'll be late! So get your lazy ass out of bed!" Genkai yelled. She knew Avari wasn't listening and had no intention of getting up, so she grabbed a hold of Avari's ankles and began pulling her out of the bed.

**THUD!** Avari fell right out of the bed and hit the floor while Genkai still had a hold of her ankles.

"Ouch! Alright, alright! I'm up and I'm getting ready! Sheesh!" Avari yelled as she grabbed the uniform that Genkai had put on a nearby chair. She walked toward the bathroom.

Avari took a quick shower and threw on her blue uniform. She fixed her hair and then went over to the mirror to look herself over. She touched her neck to check if her necklace that had been given to her by her mother was still there and, sure enough, it was. The necklace had a single purple gem embedded in a circle of silver on it that hung from its simple, silver chain. With that done, she finished getting ready and made her way down the hall.

**-15 minutes later-**

Yusuke and Genkai were sitting down in the kitchen. Genkai was eating and Yusuke was just sitting back in his chair, waiting for Avari.

"Avi-chan! Hurry it up!" Genkai yelled.

"I'm coming!" Avari yelled. There was a sound of hurried feet and she was visible in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Ready to go?" Yusuke asked.

"Yup. Let's go and enjoy this great day of school we have ahead of us," Avari said quite sarcastically.

Yusuke got up from his chair and started to walk toward the door that led outside. Avari grabbed a piece of toast that had been waiting for her on the table and followed Yusuke.

"See ya later, grandma!" Yusuke called carelessly after him as he walked out the door.

"Yeah, see ya, Aunt Genkai!" Avari said as she shut the door behind her and followed Yusuke.

-------------------------------

Avari and Yusuke walked in silence most of the way. Yusuke was leading the way and Avari followed four feet behind him.

"Are we almost there yet?" Avari said impatiently after they had been walking for about ten minutes.

"Actually, we're only about four blocks away from Sarayashiki Jr. High," Yusuke replied.

They were now back to the usual silence. It made both of them feel uncomfortable.

"So, tell me more about yourself. Have any brothers or sisters?" Avari said, breaking the silence. She quickened her pace so that she was now walking next to Yusuke, rather than behind him.

"Uhh... Not really. But I've got a flaky mom who's drunk most of the time, but when she's sober she can get really worked up over the smallest crap," Yusuke replied. "What about you?"

"Oh, I see. I have an older half brother who I haven't seen in about 9 years and that's it," Avari replied.

"Oh," Yusuke replied. "We're almost there," he added as the junior high came into view only half a block away.

As they approached the school, they heard someone yelling.

"Yusuke! There you are! I thought you were going to skip again today, but I guess not," said a girl with brown hair and brown eyes who ran up to them now that they were in front of the school. "Who's your friend?" the girl added, pointing at Avari.

"Oh yeah. Uh, Avari meet Keiko. Keiko meet Avari," Yusuke said.

"Hi! I'm Avari Raji," Avari said.

"Keiko Yukimura. Pleasure," Keiko said back to Avari.

They now heard the school bell ring and hurried through the school entrance.

"Alright, Avari. You have to go to the school office to get registered and everything, so I'll see ya later," Yusuke said as he pointed toward the office door and walked down the hall after Keiko to homeroom.

"See ya!" Avari called after him and she watched as he disappeared down the hall into the swarm of students. Avari then pushed open the door to the office and walked over to the secretary.

**-15 minutes later-**

Avari was sitting in a chair in front of the secretary's desk. They had just gotten through all of Avari's paperwork and the secretary handed her a paper.

"Here's your schedule, dear. Have a nice day!" the secretary said, as Avari took the paper and got up from her chair

"Thank you," Avari said to the secretary, as she walked out of the office and made her way down the hall to her homeroom.

**-To Be Continued...**


	3. The Attack

**A/n-** Once again, thanks for all the encouraging reviews! And I am extremely sorry this chapter took like 8 years (not literally!) to get out! And I'll even be nice enough to spare you some lame excuse as to why! And without further ado, Here's Chapter 3 of 'The Power Locked Within'!

**Chapter Three: The Attack**

Avari walked down the hallway from the office, where she had just been. She soon came to room 263. After double checking her schedule to make sure it was the right room, she proceeded in turning the door knob and walking into the classroom. The teacher and all of the students looked over when they heard the door open. Almost immediately, Avari recognized Keiko's and Yusuke's faces among the rows of desks.

"You must be the new student," the teacher, Mr. Yona, said. "Tell us about yourself."

"Hi! I'm Avari Raji and I just moved here to live with my aunt," Avari said, while standing in front of the classroom.

"Welcome, Avari. Have a seat over there, behind Kuwabara," Mr. Yona said, pointing to a desk behind a tall, slightly (maybe more than slightly) ugly boy with orange hair.

Avari walked over to her seat and sat down. It just so happened that Yusuke (who was looking rather bored) sat behind her. That made her happy. It was comforting to know that she knew someone. She turned around for a second and smiled at Yusuke. His mopy, dreary face turned into a smile in response to hers. Avari then turned back around to face the front of the room, feeling even happier.

Mr. Yona, who was a math teacher, continued his lesson which just bored everyone to death. One point during the class, when Mr. Yano had his back turned and was writing something on the board, the orange haired kid in front of Avari turned around and started talking to her.

"Hi! I'm Kuwabara," he said, "You're pretty. Wanna go out sometime?"

"Sure," Avari said sarcastically.

"Really!" Kuwabara said surprised as his face lit up.

"I was being sarcastic you dolt!" Avari said slightly aggrivated. At this point, Kuwabara's happy face turned into a disappointed one.

"I don't know why you even bother asking, Kuwabara. You get the same answer from every girl. Just save your breath," Yusuke said, butting in. He laughed and then said to Avari, "He says that to every new girl, so don't let him bug you. He's just a desperate idiot."

"Hey! I heard that!" Kuwabara yelled.

"It's the truth!" Yusuke yelled back.

Avari just laughed at this and Mr. Yona turned around to face the class, after noticing all the talking.

"What's all the commotion over there! Get back to work!" Mr. Yano said, but as soon as he finished speaking, the bell rang. All of the students started scrambling around for their things and heading out the door.

"Hey Avari!" Yusuke said, "What class do you have next?"

"Uhh... History," she replied, after taking a glimpse at her schedule.

"Then, follow me," Yusuke said as he started walking toward the door and Avari followed.

As the day went on, Avari found out she had the same exact schedule as Yusuke and Keiko. She ate lunch with them, too. Pretty soon, the last bell of the day rang. Avari walked out of the school and to the gate, where Yusuke had told her to meet him because Genkai had asked him to walk her home, too.

"Hey Avari! Over here!" Avari heard someone to her left call out. She saw that it was Yusuke and her eyes lit up as she walked toward him.

"There you are. I've been waiting for the past five minutes," Yusuke said.

"Oh, sorry," Avari said, giving a meek smile.

They started walking down the block, back the way they had come that very morning. Both were just walking down the street in silence. Yusuke looked happy to be out of school and Avari was just savoring every moment she was spending with him.

"Hey, I know a shortcut. It's through the park, but it'll save us a good 10 minutes," Yusuke said, "That way grandma won't get on my case about taking forever to get to training and getting you home."

"Works for me," Avari said, smiling.

They crossed the street and soon were walking down a path in the park. Avari couldn't help but notice all the pretty scenery. All of the surrounding trees were changing color. Leaves in beautiful shades of orange, red and yellow were scattered on the ground and a few were falling from the trees as a gentle, yet chilly wind was blowing. There was a flock of birds flying overhead that were heading south for the winter. Avari stopped walking for a brief moment and took a deep breath of the cold, crisp air, as if she were taking in all of her wonderful surroundings. She looked up at the sky and saw how clear blue it was and how the sun was shining so brilliantly.

Yusuke noticed that Avari had stopped walking and he stopped, too. He looked back at her and smiled. Avari stopped looking up at the sky and saw Yusuke smiling at her.

_'He is so cute when he smiles,' _she thought to herself as she smiled back at Yusuke.

"We better get going. You don't want the old hag getting mad at us for taking so long, do you?" Yusuke said.

"No, I definitely don't. Aunt Genkai scares me when she's mad," Avari replied, while laughing lightly.

She started walking again and soon she and Yusuke were walking side by side among the gorgeous autumnal scenery.

After a few moments, a nearby row of bushes started shaking. Avari and Yusuke both noticed and stopped walking to see what was in the bushes. All the sudden, a huge, green-skinned demon with jet black hair and black eyes jumped out from behind the bushes. On his forehead, he bore a red X and in his right hand he held a katana. Right away, Avari recognized the red X and knew who had sent the demon. She got into a fighting stance and Yusuke did the same.

"What do you want?" Avari yelled at the demon in a slightly annoyed tone.

"You know perfectly well what I am here for," the demon said in a demanding tone. "Now hand it over and I might not kill you."

Avari grimaced at his voice. It was just too deep and ugly to bear, or even, listen to.

"I'll never let you get your filthy hands on it!" Avari yelled back.

"Oh, I'll get it!" he said back. "Right after I kill you!" The demon then unsheathed his katana and lunged at Avari.

"SPIRIT DAGGER!" Avari yelled quickly. A spirit energy-composed sword surrounded by a purple aura formed in her hand. She used the spirit dagger to block his attack. Then they went on attacking and blocking each other's sword. At one point, Avari was able to catch the demon off his guard and stab him in the spleen, making him bend over in pain.

"SPIRIT GUN!" Yusuke yelled as he shot his Spirit Gun at the demon. The demon was too distracted by the pain of his injury to realize what Yusuke had just done. The ball of blue spirit energy that had come from Yusuke's finger hit him, causing him to disappear in thin air and cease to exist. Avari sighed in relief and made her dagger disappear.

"Are you alright, Avari?" Yusuke said, sounding worried.

"I'm perfectly fine," Avari said, brushing some dirt off of herself. "We better get back to Genkai's and tell her about this."

"Good idea," Yusuke said back.

They both recollected themselves and broke out into a run towards Genkai's.

**-Back at Genkai's-**

Yusuke and Avari saw Genkai's temple in the distance and quickened their run. As they approached the temple, they saw Genkai out in the front, sitting on the porch possibly waiting for their return.

"There you are! It shouldn't take you eight friggin' years to walk home from school!" Genkai yelled, slightly agitated.

"Well, you see, we ran into a little trouble on the way home, Aunt Genkai," Avari tried to explain.

"What kind of trouble? Did dimwit over here get in a fight with some punks?" Genkai asks, obviously not amused.

"Not exactly..." Avari said.

"Then, what was it!" Genkai said, sounding very annoyed that she wasn't getting a straight answer.

"I think Yamiko sent a demon to try and get it again," Avari said.

"Who the hell is Yamiko!" Yusuke said, looking very confused.

"If we all go inside and sit down, I'm sure Avari will be willing to explain," Genkai said.

**-To Be Continued...**

-Tune in next time for another exciting episode of **"The Power Locked Within"!**


	4. Explanations

**A/n-** I know I take forever to get these things out... I'm gonna try to get them out quicker! Soo... Here's the 4th Chapter of The Power Locked Within! It might be kinda boring because it's mostly just explanation of stuff, but oh well...

**Chapter Four: Explanations**

All three of them were seated around the table on tatami mats, sipping tea. Genkai was at the head of the table while Yusuke was on her left and Avari was on her right. Everything was silent. The only noises were the occasional sip of tea and the constant tapping of Yusuke's fingers on the tabletop.

"So, is anyone going to explain to me who the hell this Yamiko guy is!" Yusuke said, as he sat there growing restless and itching to know about Yamiko.

"Go ahead, Avi-chan," Genkai said, looking over at Avari.

"Why do I have to explain! I get stuck doing this every time!" Avari protested.

"Because I said so!" Genkai yelled back.

"Oh, what a good reason," Avari said sarcastically.

"Can we just move on with the damn explanation! I wanna know who this bastard is and then go to the arcade!" Yusuke yelled.

"Alright, alright. Now, where should I start?" Avari said. She thought for a moment and then said, "Okay, to start off, Yamiko is half-water demon, half human. He's the leader of a huge organization of demons and he keeps sending them after me."

"But, what is he after?" Yusuke interrupted.

"This," Avari said, as she held up the necklace with the purple gem that was hanging from her neck.

"But what would some big leader like him want with a girl's necklace?" Yusuke asked confused.

"There's more to this necklace than it appears," Avari began, "This necklace was given to me by my mother and has been passed down from mother to daughter for generations in my family. The one thing is that there is a great power locked inside of it. No one has ever dared to unleash it though, for fear that something terrible might happen. Yamiko is the only one daring enough to unleash it because he could use the power to take over all three worlds, human, spirit and demon world."

"He sounds like just about any other evil leader, power hungry and willing to kill anyone to get what they want. Have any other guys like him tried to get the locket?" Yusuke inquired.

"No, because they don't know about the locket. The only way Yamiko knows about its power is because he is my brother. Half brother actually," Avari explained.

"WHAT! That fucking bastard would hurt his own sister just to get more power! What a blood-sucking vulture! How selfish is that! When I meet him, I'm gonna punch him so hard that he..." Yusuke shouted in outrage.

"Whoa! Calm down, Yusuke! We'll get to fight him, but first we need a plan," Avari said.

"We need to tell Koenma right away," Genkai said, after sitting there so silently while watching the other two talk... or shout.

"No! We can handle this, Aunt Genkai! Koenma won't be much help," Avari said.

"Avi-chan, I don't think you realize how serious this really is. You don't know how powerful Yamiko has gotten since you last saw him. Koenma can help develop a full-proof plan and provide us with aid. We'll be much better off with his help," Genkai said, then sipped her tea.

"Oh, alright. I'll tell him we're coming," Avari said, as she took our a compact.

"Hey! You have a compact, too! Are you another spirit detective or something! I mean, I knew you had spirit energy, but I didn't know you worked for Spirit World!" Yusuke asked, surprised.

"I've been a spy for Koenma for about 2 years. It's risky, but I love it!" Avari replied.

She then flipped open the compact and Koenma appeared on the screen.

"Oh, Avari!" Koenma said surprised.

"Hey Koenma! We need a portal to your office now. We need to tell you something important, so make it quick," Avari said in a serious tone.

Almost instantly, a portal appeared in front of them. Avari closed her compact and got up from her seat.

"Let's go," she said, looking over at Yusuke who was now standing up as well.

Avari went through first and Yusuke followed soon behind. Now Genkai was left all by her self at her temple.

"Now that those two bakas are gone I can get some peace and quiet," she said while sighing and drinking her tea.

**-At Koenma's-**

Avari appeared in Koenma's office first. Yusuke came in soon after, but he accidentally landed on top of Avari, making her fall to the ground. Yusuke was lying on top of Avari, making them both blush furiously. Yusuke quickly got up as soon as he realized what had happened. He then offered his hand to Avari, who grasped it willingly.

As he helped her up, a blushing Yusuke said, "Sorry about that. It doesn't happen too often."

"That's alright," Avari replied sweetly and blushing as well. "You don't have to admit that you're a clumsy oaf."

"Hey!" Yusuke yelled, still blushing.

Avari just stood there laughing at him, until Koenma spoke up.

"And what was that 'important' news you had to tell me?" Koenma interrupted.

"Oh, yeah!" Avari said, remembering why they were there, "Yamiko is at it again. He sent a demon after me when I was walking home from school, but Yusuke and I took care of him."

"Woah! What's that! The third time he's sent someone after you this month? It seems he's starting to get restless and tired of not getting what he wants," Koenma said quite seriously, "I suggest you just lay low for awhile. Train and go to school. You're still getting used to living with Genkai anyway. Let me know if anything else happens in the near future."

"But don't you think we should try to exterminate him and his plans as soon as possible!" Avari exclaimed, sounding disappointed.

"Avari, we don't even know where he is. When he gets fed up with not succeeding, he will come out and do something himself, instead of sending his weak minions to do his dirty work. Until then, we just have to wait and be ready for when that time comes," Koenma replied.

Avari sighed deeply and said, "I guess you're right... I haven't even been able to find any information on his whereabouts and I'm one of your best spies."

"With that said, I think it's time you and Yusuke headed back to Genkai's. Here's a portal to take you back. I might be calling on you sometime this week to do some spy work," Koenma said.

A portal appeared in the middle of the room.

"Ok. I'll be seeing you," Avari said and walked through the portal.

"See ya, binky breath," Yusuke said and walked toward the portal after Avari.

**-At Genkai's Temple-**

Avari and Yusuke appeared one after the other back at Genkai's in the courtyard just outside the temple. Genkai was sitting out on the porch steps enjoying the captivating sunset that was before her eyes on the horizon. Once she saw them appear, she sighed and thought, "There goes my quiet time..."

They walked over to her and sat down on the steps, as she was.

"He said we should wait until Yamiko attacks me himself and until then, we need to train," Avari said carelessly.

"Just as I thought," Genkai replied, as she started getting up. "Avi-chan, why don't you go and make dinner while Yusuke and I do some light training. We'll join you in an hour," she suggested.

"Okay, but let's hope I don't burn down the temple," Avari said as she got up and started walking toward the kitchen.

"On second thought, why don't we just order pizza," Genkai said, rethinking what she had said before.

"Sounds good to me!" Yusuke said happily as they all walked inside.

Genkai called for the pizza and ended up not training with Yusuke. When the pizza arrived, they all dug in for their food hungrily. Half-way through her first piece of pizza, Avari glanced over at Yusuke. He was literally shoving food into his mouth, but wasn't really succeeding because half of it was on his face. Avari grimaced at the sight of him eating so fast and sloppily.

"Hey Yusuke! You're eating like no one's ever fed you before. You do know you can slow down," Avari said.

Yusuke looked over at her and replied with a mouthful of food, "I mwow." He then continued eating like a starving hobo.

"O-oo-k," Avari said, rolling her eyes.

"That's how the dimwit always eats, Avi-chan," Genkai told her.

Avari nodded and continued eating.

Soon there was no pizza left. (Most of which was inhaled by Yusuke.) They all were just sitting there digesting, when they heard a loud clap of thunder outside. Soon after, they heard rain begin to pelt like crazy against the window and on the ground outside. Avari got up and peered out the window.

"Holy shit! It's really raining out there!" Avari said surprised.

Yusuke got up and looked out the window as well.

"Dammit! How am I supposed to get home!" he exclaimed.

"Looks like you're spending the night, dimwit," Genkai said plainly.

"Great..." Yusuke said sarcastically.

"It's getting late. We should all head to bed. Tomorrow, being Saturday, will be spent training and you'll need all your energy," Genkai said and got up.

They all headed down the hall to where the bedrooms were.

"Good night, Avari. 'Night, dimwit," Genkai said and headed into her room that was three doors down from Avari's.

"G'night, Aunt Genkai," Avari said.

"Night, grandma," Yusuke said after Genkai. He turned to Avari and said, "See ya in the AM, Avari."

"Good night, Yusuke," Avari said back and headed into her room. She then shut the door behind her.

Yusuke looked at the door she had just shut for a second and then turned the doorknob of the room directly to the left of Avari's room. He went inside and fell into bed asleep.

In Avari's room, Avari threw on some flannel pajama bottoms that had snowflakes on them and a white tanktop. She brushed her teeth and then moved in front of the full-length mirror on her wall, where she brushed her hair. As she brushed, she thought about Yusuke. She really liked him, even though she hardly knew him. She liked the way he smiled and how he helped her fight the demon earlier that day. She liked how he was so nice to her and how he looked at her sometimes with those two big, beautiful brown eyes. Hopefully, he was thinking about her. Maybe he liked her just as much as she liked him... or more.

Avari flopped down on her bed and was lying on her back. He had been invading her mind for most of the day. Obviously, she had developed feelings for him. He was just so cute... so perfect for her... She sighed.

"I better get some sleep. I'll need it because aunt Genkai will work me to death in training tomorrow," she said to herself.

She turned out the light on her bedside table and crawled under her covers. Outside, she could still hear the rain falling heavily and the rumbling of thunder. And every so often, she would see a flash of lightning come from outside her window. She snuggled under the blankets and drifted off to sleep with her mind full of wonderful thoughts... about Yusuke...

**-To Be Continued...**

-...And that's the chapter! Woah! I just realized how long this one was... Well, hope you liked it! And please review it! I want to know what people think of it... I'll try to get another chapter out in a couple days...


	5. Released from the Darkness

**A/n-** So much for trying to get these chapters out faster... It's been about 3 months since I started this story and I'm only on the **5th** chapter! Oh man, I'm a loser... and a procrastinator. Sorry for the long wait guys! Here's the chappie and I should get a few more chapters out now since it's Christmas break and I have a lot of free time.

**Chapter Five: Released from the Darkness **

**-Avari's Dream-**

_The family of three had just sat down to their evening meal. The room was silent, but not an eerie silence. More like a comforting and soothing silence. Music to the ears. There was only the clanking of dishes and the occasional gust of wind outside to be heard. Everyone was just enjoying their food and the presence of one another._

_After some time, the lights began to flicker and eventually, they went out. Avari looked around in confusion, as her parents did. Was it a power outage? Mrs. Raji found the matches and lit some candles. Now they could see each other's faces. Mr. Raji was just about to go down in the basement to check the circuits, when they heard the creaking of the front door._

_All three of them slowly made their way into the living room, where the front door was located. Before any of them could reach it, it opened all the way. They all grew wide eyed and gasped at what they saw._

_There in the doorway stood black-cloaked figure with a glowing red X on its hood. The figure seemed to glide, rather than walk, into the room. Soon after it, followed 4 other figures, all dressed the same way, but varying in heights. All 5 figures lined up in a row. You could see that each one was equipped with a katana, which was strapped to its side. Almost in unison, the 5 figures unsheathed their katanas and got into a fighting stance._

_The Rajis didn't have to question themselves about why the figures were here. It was obvious that the creatures wanted them dead. They had to fight to stay alive. Each one of them formed their spirit weapon._

_"Spirit Bow and Arrow!" Mr. Raji yelled. A bow and a quiver of arrows composed of green spirit energy formed in his muscular hands._

_"Spirit Whip!" called Mrs. Raji as a whip made of pink energy formed in her hand._

_"Spirit Dagger!" yelled Avari. At that moment, a dagger made of purple energy formed in her hand._

_Now that they had their weapons, they each got into a fighting stance. It was time to protect what was rightfully theirs._

_The tallest figure made the first move by slashing at Mr. Raji, who blocked the attack. After that, the rest of the hooded figures attacked and the Rajis defended themselves. The room was filled with sounds of clanking weapons, lashing whips and the twinking sound of a bow._

_At one point, Mrs. Raji had her whip wrapped around the neck of a hooded figure. While Avari kept off the others, Mrs. Raji kept her hold on the figure and Mr. Raji powered up an arrow with energy. He shot it into the figures heart. There was a load screeching sound and the hooded menace fell to the ground in a pool of blood. Now, the fight continued on. One down, four more to go._

_It felt as if hours had been passing. The air was think with the scent of spilled blood. The once white carpet was now stained burgundy. Everyone was getting weaker. You could see it in their fighting, but neither side was willing to give in so easily._

_The cloaked figures were closing in on the Rajis. They were leading them into a corner of the room. That way, there would be no way to escape without getting hurt. The Rajis could have tried to kill the creatures, but they were much too weak, drained of energy. Despite this, as they were being slashed and thrashed at, they continued to defend and fight, but they grew weaker and weaker._

_Mrs. Raji had tried her best to defend herself, but it was no use. She was knocked to the ground by a hard punch. The tallest figure had its katana raised over its head, ready to bring it down upon Mrs. Raji and slice her in two. Avari and Mr. Raji saw this and tried to run to her for aid. Avari was held back by the firm grip of cold, scaly hands belonging to a cloaked figure, while her father was able to get there. Mr. Raji stood in front of Mrs. Raji to protect her._

_"Don't you dare touch my wife!" he yelled._

_The creature didn't want to listen. He brought his katana down and sliced through Mr. Raji._

_"NOOO!" Avari screamed as she struggled within the creature's grasp. The more she struggled, the tighter the grasp became. It was no use. She could do nothing._

_The tallest figure rose his katana again. He brought it down on Mrs. Raji's chest and made a deep gash. Blood spilled everywhere. Before she died, Mrs. Raji spoke her last words._

_"I love you...Avi...chan..." she said quietly and slowly. Then her body became limp and she left this world._

_"MOTHER! Come back!" Avari screamed._

_Avari was now released from the strong grip of the creature. She fell onto the ground, pained and hurt._

_The figures started to leave. Despite her condition, Avari got up and attacked the closest creature. It easily blocked her attack and kicked her in the stomach. Avari was sent flying and hit the wall. She screamed in pain and coughed up blood. Then, the tears started flowing._

_Before leaving, the shortest figure asked if they should kill Avari, too._

_"She is nothing without her parents," the tallest figure replied and left, as the others did._

**---------------In Avari's Room---------------**

"Avari! Avari! Wake up!" Yusuke called as he shook Avari's sleeping figure and let go when he saw her eyes open.

Avari sat up in bed. She was breathing heavily and drenched in a cold sweat. Looking up, she saw Yusuke sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with a worried expression painted on his face.

"Are you okay, Avari?" Yusuke questioned with much concern in his voice. "I heard you scream so I rushed over to see if you were alright."

"Yeah, I'm fine now," Avari said with a weak smile. She was extremely happy that Yusuke was there. His mere presence made her feel more relaxed and soothed after what she had just dreamed.

"Good," he said as he smiled at her.

"Thanks for checking on me, Yusuke. It means a lot," Avari said.

"No problem. I guess, since you seem fine, we should go back to sleep now," Yusuke said as he got up.

"Alright. You can go ahead and do that, but I'm going outside. I need to clear my head after all that," Avari said as she got up out of her bed and put shoes on.

"Then, I'll join you. I haven't really been able to get to sleep tonight and the fresh air might do me some good," Yusuke said.

"Okay. The company would be nice," Avari said and headed out the door.

Yusuke followed after Avari down the hall. Avari slid open the shoji screen door and walked out on to the porch with Yusuke after her. She sat down on the steps. Yusuke sat down next to her. Both looked out at the scenery before them.

There were the thick woods that surrounded the temple and the courtyard. A fountain was located in the center of the courtyard. The trickling of the water could be heard. They looked up at the sky. The first rays of a golden sun were shining, yet the stars and the night sky were still visible. It was as if the drakness of night was being pushed out by the light of day. Everything was peaceful and beautiful.

Yusuke and Avari sat there in peace for a few minutes. Finally, Yusuke broke the silence.

"If you don't mind my asking, what was your dream about? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Yusuke asked when curiosity had gotten the better of him. That question had been running through his head ever since Avari had woken up.

"I saw my parents being killed by those bastards!" Avari exclaimed angrily. She looked over at Yusuke after she said this. "They killed them right in front of me! I tried to fight back, but I was too weak! I was too weak!"

Now, tears of sorrow, hate, anger and pain were filling up in her purple eyes, blurring her vision. Gently and quickly, they slid down her cheeks.

Yusuke put his arms around her to comfort her. She buried her face into his chest and sobbed. Yusuke stroked the back of her head and continued to hold her.

"It's going to be alright, Avari. I promise," Yusuke said quietly.

Avari looked up at Yusuke with two sparkling, wet eyes. Yusuke, who still had his arms around Avari, looked into her eyes. They both felt drawn in by each other's gaze at they got closer and closer.

Before they knew it, their lips were touching. The kiss was very loving and sweet. Avari felt as if she was melting into Yusuke's arms. All her pain seemed to fade away. Yusuke seemed to be enjoying himself as well. He had wanted to kiss her ever since he met her. Avari wrapped her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. Yusuke tightened his hold on Avari. The kiss continued to deepen and become more passionate. Finally, both of them broke apart for they were in desperate need of air. Just realizing what they had done, they both blushed. Then, they both looked in each other's eyes once more and smiled.

The sun was now half way visible. Everything was brighter and the darkness had almost completely disappeared. It was just how Avari felt. She had been in the dark, sad and cold, but Yusuke had pushed it away and brought her into the light of happiness.

"We should go back inside. Aunt Genkai will most likely want to train soon," Avari said.

"You're right," Yusuke replied.

They both let go of each other and stood up. One after the other, they went back inside and headed to their bedrooms.

-**To Be Continued...**

-And that's the chapter! I should have chapter 6 out by at least Tuesday, unless I end up being really busy. Hope ya liked it! Tune in next time for another episode of... **The Power Locked Within!**


	6. Unexpected Occurrences

**A/n-** I don't have too much to say here... I'm going to do my best to get these out faster from now on. Please review and let me know if you even like this!

**Chapter Six: Unexpected Occurrences**

"Time for training!" Genkai called.

A few seconds later, the sound of hurried footsteps was coming from the hallway. Yusuke and Avari came rushing into the training hall.

"Took you long enough to get here," Genkai commented, not sounding too happy. She had been waiting for quite some time so she was a little annoyed with the two of them.

"Well, we're here now. What do you want us to do?" Avari said with a deep sigh.

"Run twenty laps around the room and stretch," Genkai said and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.

"What the fuck! That's way too many laps, grandma! And you're just going to take a nap, while we're sweating our asses off!" Yusuke complained.

"Yusuke, don't even bother," Avari said. "She'll just make us run even more. You should know that by now." She then pushed Yusuke aside and started running.

"What the hell was that for!" Yusuke yelled.

"Your lazy ass was in my way!" Avari yelled back as she continued to run around the dojo.

She was now coming back to the point where she had started, which was where Yusuke was standing. When she passed by, she gave him another good shove and continued running.

"I'll get you for that!" Yusuke yelled and he took off after Avari.

For the longest time, Yusuke chased Avari around the dojo. Genkai stayed in the same spot against the wall sleeping. Yusuke kept pushing himself to run faster, but somehow he was always five feet behind Avari.

All the sudden, Avari stopped running. Yusuke didn't have enough time to stop. This resulted in him colliding into Avari. Both fell to the ground with Yusuke crushing Avari.

"Didn't this happen before? Or am I just having deja vu?" she said sounding slightly annoyed.

"It was your fault this time!" Yusuke said. "Why the hell did you stop!"

"I was done my laps!" Avari yelled back. "Now, could you get off of me! I do need to breath!"

Yusuke got up off Avari and then offered Avari his hand to help her up. She grabbed it, but pulled him down so that he was on the ground next to her. Avari laughed. Yusuke just looked a little pissed off.

"Yo dimwit! Avi-chan! Stop acting idiotic and get stretching!" Genkai yelled.

"We're getting to it, grandma," Yusuke said.

Yusuke and Avari got up off the ground. Then, they started stretching.

"Hey, aunt Genkai! Do you think we could train outside today instead? It's so pretty outside," Avari suggested.

"Fine," Genkai said.

They all headed outside to the courtyard. There was a circle of stones that created the feel of a ring. It was so much nicer outside than being in the stuffy training hall. Outside it was more spacious and enlightening.

"Now what? Who's sparring with who?" Avari said.

"You versus Yusuke. I'll be the referee," Genkai said.

Yusuke and Avari stepped into the ring facing one another. They both got into a fighting stance and put on their game face.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" Yusuke said with confidence.

"Not if I kick yours first!" Avari retorted. "Bring it!"

"So, to win, your opponent has to either be knocked unconscious, down for ten seconds or knocked out of the ring. There is no use of spiritual power in this match. You must only rely on your martial arts skills, agility, strength and defense," Genkai said. "Ready, Set, FIGHT!"

As soon as Genkai said this, Yusuke and Avari ran at each other and threw their punches. Genkai stepped back to watch. Avari hit Yusuke in the chin and dodged his attempt to hit her in the face. Yusuke stayed on his feet and threw a kick at Avari this time. Using her amazing agility, she jumped back just in time for it to miss. She ran up to Yusuke again and threw another punch at him, but he dodged this one.

They continued fighting back and forth like this. Both kept dodging and blocking their opponent's punches and kicks, but each one got their hits in. Finally, Avari landed a hard kick on Yusuke, sending him flying through the air. He soon hit the ground and groaned in pain.

"1...2...3..." Genkai started to count the number of seconds Yusuke was down. "...4...5..." On the count of five, he got up.

"Don't think this fight is over yet!" Yusuke yelled.

"It'll be over soon enough, with me being declared the winner!" Avari yelled back.

Yusuke threw a punch at Avari, it hit her square on the cheek. Avari's face got an angry look on it and she threw a large number of fast, but hard punches at Yusuke all in a row. Most of them hit their target. Yusuke seemed to be weak and tired. He had tried to dodge and block, but they were feeble attempts. She gave him one final kick and sent him down on the ground again. Genkai started counting again. Yusuke tried to get up, but didn't have the strength left in him.

"...6...7...8," Genkai counted, expected the dimwitted teenager to get up any second now. "...9..." She counted. Yusuke still hadn't gotten up. "...10..." Yusuke was down for the count. He had lost.

"And the winner is, Avi-chan!" Genkai said proudly as she held up Avari's arm.

Avari smiled, but then looked over at Yusuke. He was still trying to get up, but failing. She walked over to him and offered him her hand.

"Sorry, Yusuke," she said with a sympathetic smile.

He took her hand and she helped him up. As he stood up, Yusuke began to sway a little. He put his hand on Avari's should to help him regain his balance.

"Nah, it's alright. You're really good and this was a fair match. You deserved to win," he said.

"You fought well, too," Avari said. She turned to Genkai and asked, "Anything else we have to do for training today?"

"No, nothing else. I need some peace and quiet, so I'm giving you the rest of today and tomorrow off from training," Genkai said and walked back to the temple.

"Did you hear that! No more training for this weekend! YES!" Avari said happily.

"Thank god. I need a break from the old hag," Yusuke said.

They started walking toward to the temple. Yusuke had a little bit of a limp, but he was okay.

"Hey, are you doing anything tomorrow?" Yusuke asked, looking over at Avari.

"No, why?" she replied.

"Uh... Well, I was just wondering if you... wanted to hang out... or something," Yusuke said nervously, while scratching the back of his head.

"Sure. I have nothing better to do and I need to get out and do something," Avari said.

"Good, then I'll see you tomorrow. I'll come by to get you at one," Yusuke said, with a smile.

"Sounds good to me," Avari said.

"Well, I'm gonna get my stuff and head home," Yusuke said as they entered the temple and started walking in the direction of his bedroom. "I'll see ya tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya," Avari said with a smile and headed into the direction of the kitchen.

All the way to the kitchen, she couldn't help but keep smiling. When she entered the kitchen, Genkai was there. Genkai looked at her, but Avari didn't seem to notice. She headed straight to the fridge for something to eat.

"What are you smiling about?" Genkai questioned.

"Oh, nothing," Avari said, sounding like she was keeping something from Genkai. She shut the fridge and went over the kitchen table. There was a bowl of fruit on the table from which she grabbed an apple.

"You know you're going to end up telling me," Genkai said.

"Oh, fine. I'll tell you," Avari said, smiling even wider. "Yusuke asked me out on a date."

"Oh. Well, have fun," Genkai said kind of carelessly.

"You don't care that I'm going out with your student?" Avari questioned. "From the way you treat him, you don't really seem to like him."

"Nah, I don't hate him," Genkai replied. "He can be cocky, idiotic and disrespectful, but he's a good dimwit. You like him anyway, so that's all that matters."

"Uhh...Thanks, I guess," Avari said, sounding a little confused. "I'm going to get a shower."

"Just don't use up all the hot water," Genkai said.

Avari bit her apple and walked out of the room. As she walked down the hall to her room, a smile crept on her face once again. She had been kissed and asked out by the guy she liked all in the same day. Plus, she had kicked major ass in training. And it wasn't even lunchtime yet! Could this be any better!

------And that's the chapter! What's Genkai going to do with all her free time? How will Yusuke and Avari's date turn out? How would Keiko react if she found out about this!...-sweatdrop-... Find out in our next episode of... **THE POWER LOCKED WITHIN! **


	7. Date with a Spirit Detective

**A/n- **Finally got around to writing this... This chapter turned out to be really long. I'll try my best to get these out faster!

**Chapter Seven: Date with a Spirit Detective**

Quietly, Avari opened her amethyst eyes and sat up in her bed. She looked over at her bedside table to check the time. On her alarm clock, in glowing green were the numbers 11:00. She crept out of her bed and walked over to the window.

Avari situated herself Indian style on the cushioned window seat. She pulled back the long and lacy lilac curtains to reveal brilliant, shining sunlight that poured into the room. Her whole face was lit up by it as she peered out onto the outside world.

The scene was spectacular. The serene, blue sky; the warm sun shedding its radiance on the earth; the crisp leaves of captivating colors still clinging to the trees' branches. She cracked the window open a little. Instantly, she felt a rush of cool, fresh air blow in. A chill went down her spine causing her to smile. It was all so perfect. Perfect for her day with Yusuke.

After a few more moments of contemplation and meditation, Avari snapped out of her daze and shut the window. Slipping into her lavender bathrobe, Avari walked out of her room and proceeded in going down the hallway. Almost instantly, her nose caught a whiff of a strong, yet relaxing scent. It was the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.

The fragrance soothed her and filled her with a tranquil feeling. It reminded her of those mornings, back when her parents were alive, that she would wake up to the same smell and walk down into the kitchen to find her parents sitting at the table. They would happily greet her and start a brand new day. She only wished she could go back to one of those mornings and relive it again and again. She wanted to go back to hug her mother one last time and hear her father call her "sunshine." But, that would never happen... Those mornings were gone forever. Lost in the pool of time and never to return again.

A silent tear ran down her cheek. It was followed by a few others, before she quickly wiped them away. Those memories were in her past and would only bring her grief. She needed to be strong and live in the present, not dwell on the past.

The silver-haired girl continued following the scent all the way down the hall.

"Good morning, Aunt Gen-" Avari said as she was entered the kitchen,"-kai…?" She had expected Genkai to be sitting at the table, but she wasn't. In fact, she wasn't anywhere in the kitchen.

A piece of paper with some scribbled writing on it caught Avari's attention. She picked it up and read:

_Hey Avi-chan!_

_Went to the Martial Arts Championships at the Tokyo Dome. I've got ringside seats. XD Would've asked you to come, but I knew you'd never give up your date. Have fun with the dimwit. Be back at sundown._

_-Aunt Genkai_

"I should've known... That would be one of the only things she'd cancel training sessions for," Avari thought out loud.

She shrugged it off and went over to the coffee pot to get some much-wanted coffee.

**-One hour later-**

Avari looked up at the ticking clock. It read 12:00 noon. She got up from the kitchen table, where she had just finished eating her eggs and pancakes, and walked back to her room.

After grabbing some towels from the linen closet, she took a quick shower and went back into the lavender room. She opened her closet and looked around. What was she going to wear? _Decisions, decisions..._

About 20 minutes and 9 outfits later, Avari finally chose to make it easy on herself and wear a light pink hoodie, dark blue jeans and pink stripped adidas.

Hastily, she fixed her hair and went to her full-length mirror to inspect herself. She took a good long look at herself in the mirror before she concluded that she looked okay. Normally, Avari wouldn't spend so much time in front of the mirror, but today, she wanted to take special notice of what she looked like.

Once more, she glanced into the mirror before grabbing her compact (that she used to contact Koenma) and leaving her room to go out on the porch to wait for Yusuke.

**-On the porch-**

Avari sat down on the stairs and waited for Yusuke to arrive. In the meantime, she looked around as a few autumn leaves fell from a tree. A wind kicked up, causing the leaves to blow in a circle as if they were stuck in a mini tornado.

Only moments later, Avari saw Yusuke coming up the last few steps that led up to the temple. She smiled. He reached the last step and walked across the courtyard to where Avari was seated. He smiled at her.

"Ready to go?" Yusuke said, as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Yup," Avari replied and got up from the steps. She followed after Yusuke who had just turned around and started walking back toward the many steps that led down from the temple and the courtyard.

"So, where to? We could try the arcade or something if you want," Yusuke asked. They were just now finished climbing down the ongoing steps of the temple.

"Arcade sounds good. I haven't played video games since I got here," Avari said.

"Arcade it is," Yusuke said with a smirk.

Yusuke led the way to the arcade and all the way there, they kept a steady conversation. It started out with Avari mentioning that Genkai had gone to the Martial Arts Championships and ended with them arguing about whether ligers existed or not. Who knows how that happened!

"Ligers do so exist! They're a mix between a male lion and a female tiger!" Avari argued. A sign with flashing lights saying "Arcade Adventure" was visible in the distance now.

"We're almost there," Yusuke said.

"Finally!" Avari said and breathed out a heavy sigh. "It sure took us a long time to get here!"

"It's worth the walk. This arcade has all the best games," Yusuke said and ran ahead to the arcade that was now only 20 feet away.

"Hey! Wait for me, Yusuke!" Avari yelled at the dimwitted teen and ran after him. She stopped once she reached the entrance of the arcade, as Yusuke had and walked inside.

Inside the arcade, it was like every video gamers' heaven. There were literally 100 different games to choose from. The whole entire space was filled with the sounds of game music, voices saying "Game Over", random beeping noises and so on.

"Where to first?" Yusuke asked looking over at Avari, who was standing there just staring at the bustling room in awe.

"Uhh... I don't know..." Avari said. She looked around and spotted a DDR game. "Oh! Let's play DDR!" Quickly, she ran over to the DDR machine and inserted the required coins. Yusuke chased after her.

For a good three hours, the two arcade game-crazed teens ran around the arcade playing game after game after game. Pretty soon, Yusuke started to feel hungry and looked at his watch.

"Whoa! It's already 4:30! Damn, we've been here a long time," Yusuke said to Avari, who was just finishing up her 12th time of playing DDR. "Wanna go get something to eat?"

The game ended and Avari got off the machine. "Good idea. Breakfast was a long time ago," Avari said.

They both left the arcade and walked down the street for a couple blocks. Once they had walked 3 blocks from the arcade, Avari noticed a familiar face in the distance.

"Hey, Yusuke! Isn't that Keiko!" Avari said as she pointed at a brown haired girl looking in a shop window about 30 feet in front of them.

At hearing the last word, Yusuke's eyes widened in surprise. Hurriedly, he grabbed Avari's hand and dragged her into a nearby alley. Avari gave Yusuke a questionable look. She was about to ask Yusuke what he had done that for, but he put his index finger on his lips to signal for her to be quiet. Just then, Keiko walked down the sidewalk and passed by the entrance to the alley.

"What was that all about?" Avari asked curiously, when she thought Keiko was far enough away to not hear her.

"I guess I better get straight to it," the spirit detective said with a sigh. "I used to date Keiko, but then she started being a bitch, so I broke up with her. We're still friends though. I just didn't want her to get mad and hate me or you when she saw us together, alright?"

"Okay. That an understandable reason, but you do realize you're going to have to tell her sooner or later?" Avari said.

Yusuke nodded. "I just don't want to deal with it at the moment," he said.

"Alright," Avari said. "Now, can we please get out of this alley and get some food?"

"Sure. There's a really great ice cream parlor 2 blocks up that I think you'll like," Yusuke said. He took Avari's hand and led her out of the alley and to the ice cream parlor.

**-In the Ice Cream Parlor-**

"Whoa! I didn't know there could be so many different kinds of ice cream!" Avari exclaimed when she walked in and saw the ice cream menu. There had to be at least 300 different flavors, from your basic Vanilla to Double Fudge Brownie Peanut Surprise.

"Pick anything you like," Yusuke said.

"That's going to be a tough decision..." Avari said, still looking at the menu.

It took a little while, but in the end, Yusuke got a cone of Rocky Road and Avari got a cone of Double Fudge Ripple. They walked out of the ice cream parlor happily with their ice cream cones. When they were done, Yusuke took Avari's hand and led her to the park.

At the park, they walked down the sidewalk hand in hand in complete silence, just enjoying one another's company. When they got tired of walking, they took a seat on a bench under an oak tree. Yusuke put his arm around Avari and Avari rested her head on his shoulder. It was an adorable sight. Yusuke was about to lean in to kiss Avari, when he heard a ringing sound.

"Uhh, Avari?" Yusuke said, bringing his head back up. "Your pants are ringing."

"I knew that," she said and took her compact out of her pocket. She flipped it open and Koenma's face appeared on the screen. "What do you want, pacifier-sucker?" Avari said carelessly.

"Have some respect for your elders, Avari," Koenma said sounding annoyed by what Avari had just called him.

"Oh, hey toddler bitch! How's it shaking? Long time no see," Yusuke said looking at the compact screen. "Now, would you mind telling us what the hell it is that you want? You were interrupting something important."

"I need Avari to come to Spirit World immediately. I'll tell you more once you get here. You can come along too, Yusuke," Koenma said. "I'm setting up a portal now. See you then!"

Avari closed the compact. "Note to self: Never bring your compact on a date," Avari said angrily. "Why does that baby always have to ruin everything!"

"I don't think he ruined everything," Yusuke said with a smile. He leaned in and pressed his lips softly and gently on Avari's. The kiss was innocent and delightful. It tasted sweet like honey. Yusuke longed for more, as did Avari, but at that precise moment, a portal appeared right in front of them. They both broke apart and stood up.

"I guess its off to Spirit World," Avari said as she jumped into the portal.

"Jeranamo!" Yusuke yelled as he jumped into the portal after Avari to go meet with the Toddler Prince of Spirit World.

-----And that's the chapter! Why did Koenma call Avari and Yusuke to Spirit World? Does a mission await them? And how did Genkai like the Martial Arts Championships? Find the answers to these and other questions in the next chapter of... **The Power Locked Within**!


	8. The Bipolar Spirit Guide

**A/n-** Riley is my friend's character and you'll find out who she is soon. Please read her fanfics! Her pen name is Cora Pembroke.

**Disclaimer:** (Haven't done one of these in a while) Yeah, yeah, yeah... I think you can tell that I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho... But I do own the character, Avari and my friend J-chan owns Riley... and the Shmoo! (You'll find out what I mean later!)

**Chapter Eight: The Bipolar Spirit Guide**

**Thud!** Avari hit the floor of Koenma's office. This time she landed on her butt, whereas last time she had managed to land on her feet. Yusuke fell into the room shortly after her. Luckily, this time he didn't land on her, but next to her instead. Both of them got up off the marbled floor and looked over at the miniature ruler, who was seated in his enormous, leather chair behind a massive desk. Stacks of papers a mile high were piled on the desk. How did Koenma get through _all_ that paper work?

"You really need to get a softer landing," Avari said as she rubbed her aching back.

"Hello Avari, Yusuke," Koenma said, sitting up a little straighter.

"Yeah, yeah. Tell us what the hell it is you want so we can leave," Yusuke said impatiently.

"I'll get straight to it," Koenma said. "I need Avari to retrieve an artifact known as the Moon Stone Necklace for me and bring it back here where it belongs. You can help out too, Yusuke. I will have a portal waiting for you at 7 o'clock in Genkai's courtyard tomorrow night. Here are some more details." Koenma handed Avari a piece of paper with a map and notes on it.

"I will do that," Avari said, glancing down at the paper in her hand.

All of the sudden, the door that was behind them flew open and everyone looked over. In walked a girl about Avari's age, who had reddish brown hair and stunning blue eyes. She was dressed in a light blue kimono and had a wide grin spread across her face.

"Avi-chan!" she shrieked as she ran over to Avari and glomped her. "I haven't seen you in _forever!_"

"Uhh... Nice to see you, too... Ri-san," Avari choked as the girl squeezed her to death. Yusuke just backed away from the entire scene as a sweat drop formed on his forehead.

"I missed you **so** much! You have **no **idea how **bored **I've been since you left!" she said, still clinging to Avari.

"Do you think you could let me go now, Riley?" Avari said, trying to breathe.

"Oh. Well I'm _sorry!_" the girl said angrily. She let go of Avari, who was gasping for oxygen. "It's not **my** fault I haven't heard from you for **2** weeks!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on a second there, Riley!" Avari said, backing away from her. "You're more bipolar than ever." Riley crossed her arms and pouted at hearing these words.

"Who the hell is she?" Yusuke interrupted. "And what the fudge does bipolar mean?"

"This is Riley. She's a spirit guide, like Botan. I met her 5 years ago when I stopped her from robbing a safe here in Spirit World and I helped her get the job," Avari explained to Yusuke. "And, to put it simply, bipolar means that she is constantly PMSing and has massive mood swings. She can be happy one second and angry at the world the next."

"Hey! You didn't have to explain it like that, bitch!" Riley yelled.

"Can you feel the love?" Avari said sarcastically.

"Can you two please take this outside! I have a lot of work to get done!" Koenma yelled in frustration.

"We're going, we're going!" Yusuke yelled back as he pushed the two girls out the door.

Out in the hall, Riley got a smile back on her face and glomped Avari again. Avari just stood their motionless and in shock as her psychotic friend hugged her to death.

"I still can't believe you're **here** in Spirit World!" Ri-san said. She let Avari go. Turning her back to Yusuke and leaning her head to Avari's ear, she whispered, "Who's the hottie over there?"

"That's Yusuke," Avari answered quietly. She looked back at Yusuke, who was looking at them funny.

"Oh! Is he your _boy toy_? He looks like he wants to _rape _you," Riley whispered, poking Avari with her elbow. "Wait, what am I thinking! You can't rape the **willing!**"

"We're going out, if that's what you mean?" Avari whispered back.

Riley squealed, causing Yusuke to look at them in an extra funny way. "I knew you'd get a boyfriend sooner or later!" she yelled out loud. Avari blushed, knowing Yusuke had definitely heard that. "So, who wants to go chillax in my room?" Riley smiled a big, innocent smile and giggled nervously as she looked back at Yusuke.

Avari and Yusuke agreed to go hang out with Riley for awhile. When they reached her room, which was a complete pig sty with clothes, empty dishes and other various things strewn everywhere, a strange creature came running over to greet them.

The creature was very, umm, interesting. It had rabbit ears, a fox tail, and was covered in purple fur. It kept saying "Shmoo!" the whole time, which got annoying after awhile.

"Ahh! What the hell is that thing?" Yusuke yelled, sounding very surprised.

"That's Lulu, my shmoo. Isn't she darling?" Riley said as she patted Lulu's head. "Just keep in mind that she acts like a cat, but thinks she's a dog."

"Oo-o-ok then," Yusuke said. He sat down on the couch that Riley had in her room. Avari sat down next to him and Riley sat down on her bed.

"What have you been up to, Avi-chan?" Riley said, looking over at Avari.

"Nothing much. Yusuke and I went to the arcade today and..." Avari stopped talking when Riley suddenly laid down on her bed and started staring up at the ceiling. "Umm... Are you okay, Riley?" Avari said looking at Riley. O.o

"That is one **sexy **ceiling!" Riley yelled.

Avari went over to Riley's bed and laid down on it next to her. She looked up at the ceiling as well and said, "It's so sexy, I could _rape_ it! Can I make sweet love to it?" Yusuke just sat there, confused beyond measure.

"You can, after **I** do," Riley said.

"No, me first! What have you been smoking?" Avari argued.

"The question is; what am I** not **smoking?" Riley said with a giggle.

"You two must be on everything! You're weirder than my mom when she's drunk!" Yusuke called out.

Riley got up from her bed and ran over to her dresser. On top of it was a red notebook, which she grabbed and went back over to the bed.

"Oh my gosh! Is that what I think it is?" Avari surprised.

"Sure is. It's the ever famous, **rape-able** list!" Riley cried out. Yusuke had just about had it with the two of them acting so idiotic. She leaned over in Avari's ear again and said,"Can we add the sex god over there?"

"Sure! May I do the honors?" Avari said, grabbing a pen.

"Of course! He's yours to rape! Anytime, anywhere," Riley said.

Avari wrote Yusuke's name in the book, that was filled with at least 100 other guys. After she wrote his name in it, Avari looked at all the other names listed.

"Whoa! You still have Rick Ledge's name in here?" Avari called out.

"Hell yeah! He was some hot stuff!" Riley yelled. "I swear he was my '_sole' _mate. Get it?" Riley pointed to the sole of her shoe. "'_Sole_' mates! Since we had the same shoes." Avari and Riley laughed.

"What the fudge?" Yusuke said, who was completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Oh, nothing! Go put this back over there, Ri-san," Avari said, shutting and handing the notebook back to Riley.

"Will do," Riley said. She put it back in its rightful spot, on top of the oak dresser, and sat back down next to Avari. "Do you guys wanna go _keyacking?_" Riley asked excitedly.

"What the hell is _keyacking_? Is that French for _kinky?_" Avari said before bursting out laughing. Both the girls laughed until their sides hurt, while Yusuke just sat there, giving them his usual "WTF?" look. O.o

Finally, the two girls settled down and regained their composure. Avari sighed and let out one last giggle. She looked over at Riley's clock. The hands of the clock said that it was 6:30. Avari's eyed widened.

"Holy Smucker's Jelly! I didn't know it was so late," Avari said, not believing the time. "We really need to get back to Genkai's. It was really nice getting to goof off with you, Riley. We should do this more often."

"I see how it is," Riley said angrily. "You just want to get **away** from me because you just **hate** me that much, don't you?"

"Bye, Ri-san!" Avari said, completely ignoring what Riley had just said. "Bye, Lu Lu." The shmoo replied with, well, a "Shmoo!" and Avari pushed Yusuke out the door with her.

Out in the hallway, Yusuke let out an exceedingly long sigh of relief. Being in a room with two psychopathic girls, one having a bipolar disorder, could be very stressful and took a lot out of you.

"Damn! How can you stand that girl?" Yusuke said.

"She's my _best_ friend! Do you have a **problem** with that?" Avari argued.

"Uhh...no..." Yusuke said. He put his hands up in defense and the second sweat drop of the day formed on his head. _'She's acting a little bipolar herself... I hope Riley didn't rub off on her too much,' _Yusuke thought to himself.

"Okay. Good," Avari said with a smile. She took Yusuke's hand and went to Koenma's office.

In his office, they had Koenma make them a portal back to Genkai's. The two teens walked through the portal, hand in hand. Seconds later, as they fell out of the swirling vortex, they found themselves back in the courtyard in front of the temple.

"Thanks for a nice day, Yusuke. I haven't had that much fun in awhile," Avari said happily. They were now standing on the porch of the temple and standing right outside the front door (or shoji screen door).

"No problem. I had fun, too," Yusuke said back, with a smile. "I'll come over tomorrow morning and walk you to school."

"Sounds good," Avari said as she beamed.

They both just stood there for a moment, staring into each other's eyes. Slowly, the space between their faces became less and less. Soon, they were too close and before you knew it, their lips were touching.

Just as Avari was about to put her arms around Yusuke's neck to deepen the kiss, the door in front of them opened. Instantaneously, they broke apart and looked over to see Genkai in the doorway.

"Busted!" Yusuke said, but then laughed.

"Uh...Hi, Aunt Genkai," Avari said nervously.

Genkai didn't say anything. She just stood their and chuckled. "It's late. Avari will see you in the morning," Genkai said, as she motioned for Avari to go inside. "Training's tomorrow after school, dimwit. Don't be late."

"Yeah, yeah. I know already," Yusuke said carelessly. "See ya, Avari. Grandma." He gave a little wave and started walking off down the stairs and home.

"Looks like you had a good time, Avi-chan," Genkai said with another chuckle.

"Shut up, Aunt Genkai," Avari said, as she turned pink and shut the shoji screen door. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay. Good night, Avi-chan," Genkai called after Avari, who was already half way down the hall.

"Good night, Aunt Genkai," Avari yelled back. She opened the door to her room and got into her pajamas.

That night, she slept soundly and happily as she dreamed of all the fun things she had done with Yusuke.

-...and that's it! This chapter was a little crazy, but I had a lot of fun writing it. After a stressful week of school and stuff, I call it my 'comic relief'. . Most of the funny stuff was inspired by jokes my friends and I have. Hope you liked it! **Review please! **

-starts talking in deep, announcer-like voice- How will Avari's mission go? Will she succeed in getting the Moon Stone Necklace for Koenma? What exciting things are planned to happen in the future? Find out in the next episode of... **The Power Locked Within!**


	9. Mysteries of Starlight Cave

**A/n-** I am **extremely **sorry that I take forever to write these chapters! Hopefully, I will be getting them up faster now. I have so many good ideas for my next chapters and I am feeling very inspired to write them so make sure you read them in the future! Now, on the with the chapter!

**Chapter Nine: Mysteries of Starlight Cave**

Avari glanced up from her homework to check the time. The digital clock in front of her read 6:30 P.M. Only a half hour left until her mission. Letting out a sigh, she slammed her Algebra textbook shut and got up out of her chair. She slid open the door to her closet and rummaged around for a little.

Moments later, she found a skin-tight, full-body spy suit in a shade of midnight blue. Slowly, she slipped it on and zipped it up. The way the suit hugged her body allowed her to make quick and sudden movements with ease when she was on the job. Besides that, the special material it was made of was water, fire and bullet proof. The only things left to do now were to clip on the spy belt, on which hung every gadget a spy wanted, and lace up her black shoes. Now she was completely decked out in what could be called the 'Ultimate Spy Attire', all parts of which had been graciously supplied by Koenma.

Closing the door behind her, Avari walked out of her room and onto the porch steps, where she sat down. The only thing left to do now was to wait for Yusuke. He was supposed to show up at 7 P.M. to accompany her. Hopefully, the dimwit wouldn't be late. Otherwise, she would be forced to go alone, as usual.

About 10 minutes passed. Avari's watch beeped to signal it was 7. As if right on cue, Yusuke came walking into the courtyard.

"Just in time," Avari called to him.

He nodded in response. As he sat down on the porch steps, he started eyeing Avari up and down. A smile appeared on his face that gave you the idea he was having some perverted thoughts. She noticed this and gave Yusuke a suspicious look.

"What are you looking at?" Avari said in annoyance. It was more or less a rhetorical question because he didn't have to answer it. She was already aware of why he was looking at her in that way. Yusuke was just about to put his arm around her when she smacked him. "You pervert!"

Right then and there, a gaping, black hole appeared in front of them. Avari got up, but Yusuke was still seeing stars and had a red handprint on his face. She grabbed a hold of his jacket and dragged him after her as she walked into the portal.

A temporary weightlessness filled their bodies and there was a flash. Instantly, they both collided into a solid surface. Despite the aches and pains, they both managed to stand up and found themselves before a great door.

The door was constructed of gold and must have been at least 10 feet high. There was a strange type of writing inscribed in the gold.

"Do you have any ideas on what that says?" Yusuke asked souding utterly stumped.

"Actually, I do. It's written in the Language of the Stars. I had to learn almost every dialect in existence to be a spy," Avari replied. "It says '_Those who dare to enter this cave, Would be better off in their grave. But if you are as bold, As to pass through the Door of Gold, Either treasure or a damned fate, Is what awaits.' "_

"Well, that just makes me want to go inside even more!" Yusuke said. "Now, my next question is, how do you open the damn door?" He started banging on the door, but it didn't do any good.

"I was just getting to that," Avari said as she approached the door. There was a giant star engraved into the center of the door underneath the message. She placed the palm of her right hand on the star. The star began to glow, causing Avari to quickly withdraw her hand. The door that was once in front of them materialized, leaving nothing behind except for a pile of dust and an entranceway.

"Nice job," Yusuke said, as if to congratulate Avari. "Now, let's go inside!" He walked through the doorway first, shortly being followed by Avari. As soon as they had both crossed over the threshold, the golden door reappeared behind them.

"I guess that means no turning back," Avari said with a hint of worry in her voice.

The two Spirit World employees examined their surroundings. They were in a passageway lit up by crystal orbs that glowed, acting somewhat like torches. Almost reluctantly, Yusuke and Avari began walking down the dimly lit tunnel. As they pressed on, going deeper and deeper into the caves, it felt like hours had gone by. That wasn't entirely true because according to Avari's watch, it was only 7:45 P.M. Obviously, this mission would only seem longer than it really was.

"Whoa!" Yusuke called out. He hit the cold, stone floor. Obviously, he had tripped. Almost at the same instant Yusuke hit the floor, the glow coming from the crystal orbs had gone out.

"Nice going, dumbass," Avari said irritably. "You must have hit something to turn them off." Fumbling with the many gadgets on her belt, she finally found the flashlight and turned it on.

With Avari leading the way, they continued down the tunnel. The lonely stream of the light coming from the electric torch gave them a sense of guidance and reassurance. As they went deeper and deeper down into the caverns, a faint light not coming from the flashlight was visible in the distance.

"Where could that light be coming from? Are there lights up there that are working?" Atari inquired.

"I don't know, but I'd rather be there than here with that dinky flashlight," Yusuke said. His voice had a hint of fear in it.

"Hey! This flashlight is state-of-the-art technology! It'll never burn out, break or need a battery replacement!" Avari yelled. She was very protective of her spy gadgets. "Wait a second... Are you afraid of the dark?" At this, she giggled. "The Almighty Spirit Detective, Yusuke Urameshi is afraid of the dark!"

"Shut it!" Yusuke yelled. He started to turn red with embarrassment, but Avari couldn't see this because of the blackness surrounding them.

The light that they had seen in the distance began to grow brighter and brighter. Avari switched off her flashlight. They were very close to the light now. The tunnel began to grow more spacious as they grew closer. It was now only 30 feet away.

Before they knew it, they were standing in the entranceway of a very enchanting and enlightening room. The light coming from the room gave them a warm, inviting feeling. They felt happy for the first time since they had entered the caves. There was one small problem. On every inch of the ceiling and floor, sharp and gleaming crystalline stalactites were shooting out. There was no possible way to cross the room without getting stabbed and poked. Despite this, the room was very beautiful and bright with light and rainbows of colors coming from the crystalline prisms.

"How the hell are we supposed to cross that!" Yusuke exclaimed. His tone was full of discouragement.

"I have an idea," Avari said with a sly smile. "Concentrate your Spirit Energy into your feet. You should lift off of the ground. Maybe we can levitate across."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Yusuke said, obviously not believing her. "Have you ever tried this before? One false move and your pretty much going to get shanked to death by the crystals."

"I've tried it! You don't think I'd do something like this without testing it first, do you?" Avari asked, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

"Oh, alright. You go first," Yusuke said, finally giving in. It was one of the only options they had anyway.

"Here it goes," Avari said. She took in a deep breath and let it out. Concentrating all her energy into her feet, she began to lift off of the ground. "It's working!" Slowly and steadily, she moved herself forward and started the journey across the deadly, but captivating crystals. Yusuke soon did the same as Avari did and floated across the spiky room.

Moments later, the other side of the room, where the crystals were gone, was almost in reach. Avari slowly lowered herself safely onto solid ground. Yusuke attempted to do the same, but lost his concentration and crash landed on the stone floor.

"Nice to see you too, Mr. Floor," Yusuke said, sarcastically. "I'm getting tired of this..." He let out a sigh and helped himself up.

"We need to get moving again or we'll never complete this mission!" Avari said and stomped off down the tunnel, that was now lit up with crystalline orbs.

"I can see Genkai's been quite an influence on her..." Yusuke murmured to himself and ran after Avari.

For what felt like hours and hours on end, they passed by countless crystal orbs in the long, winding walkway. Finally it seemed as if the walls were gradually widening once again as they kept moving. Soon enough, they were in a dimly-lit chamber with nothing but a pool of dark water and random stalactites jetting out of the ceiling.

"This doesn't look very threatening..." Avari said, sounding unamused. She aimlessly walked over to the pool and looked in. Nothing was visible in the water accept for her faint reflection, until some unknown force was pulling her in. Using some of her Spirit Energy, she tried to fight it, but it was no use. With a splash, she was sucked into the water even before she could let out a scream.

Yusuke saw what had just happened and walked over to where Avari had just stood. He looked down into the murky water, only to be sucked in by the invisible force as well.

Under the water, the only thing Yusuke saw was darkness. He held his breath and began swinging his arms around in the water. If he couldn't use his sight to find Avari, he would try to use his sense of touch. Not much time passed when he hit something and tried to grab hold of it. It just had to be Avari. At that instant, two beaty, red eyes appeared in front of Yusuke.

At this, he felt panic rising inside of him, causing him to swim upward for his life. Apparently, he had been wrong in thinking it was Avari. Whatever the red eyes belonged to, he didn't want to know. The only thing he was concentrating on was getting out of that underground lake as soon as possible. He couldn't hold his breath for much longer anyway. His only hope of finding Avari was to take another deep breath and dive in again, being something he didn't want to do though.

Soon he reached the surface of the pool, gasping for fresh air. He made his way over to land and sat down. As he was catching his breath, Yusuke kept looking around for signs of Avari. Everything was still. She was still down there.

At that exact moment, there was a huge splash in front of Yusuke. Avari's face popped out of the water. She looked distressed and horror-struck. Yusuke rushed over to her and held out his hand. Desperately, she tried to reach it, but something grabbed a hold of her foot. Almost instantly, she was, once again, submerged into the water.

On the surface of the water, only a few bubbles rose. Yusuke's face went pale. Moments went by and everything was still again.

"Avari! Are you alright? Avari!" Yusuke screamed worriedly. His desperate calls were no use. There was no chance of her surviving. The beast had most likely devoured her already.

To Yusuke's utter surprise, there was a huge splash. The scaly, dark head of a sea monster and 12 tentacles rose out of the water. One of the tentacles was holding what looked to be a body, obviously Avari's. It looked like the monster was about to put her in his mouth when a voice yelled out, "Spirit Explosion!" A huge explosion occurred and there was a flash of light. The room was covered in smoke and the sound of things hitting the ground surrounded Yusuke.

As the smoke cleared, Yusuke saw that the floor of the room was covered in blood and remains of the sea monster. Avari had successful exterminated the sea monster. The one question was, where was she? Had she been blown up in the explosion, too?

"That went just as planned," a voice behind Yusuke said. This made him jump. Gradually, Yusuke turned his head around to see where the voice had come from. Sure enough, there was Avari, standing right behind him.

"Let's get out of here. I think we've caused enough destruction for this one chamber," Yusuke said with a smile.

"Good idea," Avari spoke, with a smile to respond with Yusuke's.

For what they hoped would be the last time, Yusuke and Avari walked down yet another lengthy, passageway that was softly lit. Only moments later, Avari heard a whizzing, buzzing sound. She stopped walking and peered behind her. Yusuke did the same. A bright light could be seen further down the tunnel, headed their way. Avari's eyes widened and she shouted, "RUN!" This made them both take off running through the narrow shafts.

They continued running for quite some time, but it didn't seem to do much. The whizzing sound was only getting louder and the light behind them was only getting brighter. Something was heading straight toward them. It was now that Avari seemed to realize that the narrow walkways were starting to get wider. This meant that they were getting closer to another chamber. Avari had an idea that might save them.

"Run faster, Yusuke! I think I have a plan!" Avari yelled behind her. At her words, she and Yusuke increased their speed and soon found themselves in the chamber. "Shoot your Spirit Gun at those stalactites above the entrance to the chamber!"

"What is that going to do?" Yusuke shouted over the now louder whizzing noise.

"Just do it!" Avari yelled back at him worriedly. She could now see that the bright light was coming from a band of shining and flying, spiky orbs that were only mere feet away.

Yusuke saw that they were in danger of being crushed and stabbed by the orbs and made the quick decision to listen to Avari. He lifted his arm and concentrated his Spirit Energy into his finger. While aiming at the stalactites Avari had pointed out, he screamed, "SPIRIT GUN!" A huge ball of blue Spirit Energy escaped from his fingertips, hurling toward the stalactites.

The energy hit the stalactites, causing them to fall and come crashing down in front of the entrance. The immense rocks blocked the entrance and just in time, too, because the whizzing orbs were only 5 feet away. In the process of this, dust was being kicked up and little fragments of rock were flying. Yusuke and Avari huddled together to protect themselves.

Once the dust had cleared, it was evident that Avari's plan had worked. The rocks blocking the entrance had kept the orbs from getting through and destroying them. Yusuke and Avari stood up and let out deep sighs.

"I'm glad that worked, or we would have been goners," Avari said, looking over at Yusuke.

"Nice thinking there. You really saved us," Yusuke said. "Now, where are we?"

They both finally took the time to look at their surroundings. The chamber they were in had a platform composed of rock in the middle of it. On the platform lay the reason they had come to Starlight Cave in the first place, the Moon Stone Necklace. Slowly and silently, they walked over to the platform where the necklace lay.

Once standing next to the stand, Avari examined the necklace, but didn't touch it. The chain of the necklace was a simple, yet elegant looking gold chain. Hanging on the chain was a golden charm shaped like the moon. Embedded in the middle of the charm was a diamond that let off the faintest white glow. The medallion was gorgeous.

"Alright. Enough staring, let's just grab the damn thing and get it to Koenma already!" Yusuke said, sounding annoyed and impatient. He reached out his bare hand to grab the necklace.

"Wait!" Avari protested as she attempted to grab Yusuke's arm before he touched the necklace. She was a few seconds too late. He had already placed his hand on it. There was a flash and Yusuke was gone.

"Yusuke? Yusuke!" Avari tried, but there was no answer. "That dimwit! He touched the necklace before I could warn him that it had an enchantment on it!" She desperately looked around for him.

Where Yusuke had once stood, she now saw a ferret. Avari picked it up and looked at it. The ferret had brown fur, brown eyes and a mop of black hair on its head. "Yusuke! Did you turn into a ferret?" she asked the ferret. It looked up into her purple eyes and wiggled its nose in response. "Uh-oh..." By now, a sweat drop had formed on Avari's forehead.

Quickly, she put on a special type of glove and grabbed the necklace with ease. After placing it in a box, she strapped the box to her belt and grabbed Yusuke (the ferret). Avari opened up her compact and soon enough, Koenma's face appeared on the screen.

Before he could say a word, Avari said, "Houston, we have a problem..."

------ I hope you liked the chapter! Will Yusuke be able to be turned back to human? What could possibly be the thing that can change him back? And when will the rest of the Yu Yu Hakusho gang appear in this story? To find out the answers to these and many of the questions, tune in next time for another episode of **"The Power Locked Within!"**


	10. Finding the Cure

Note- Finally got around to updating! This chapter won't have much action and its more of a filler or something to fill you in on what's going on. I know it might be boring, but I will try to get the next chapter up really soon! Please REVIEW! Now, go ahead and read!

**Chapter Ten: Finding the Cure**

A couple minutes after hanging up on Koenma, Avari appeared out of thin air in his office.

To her surprise, Koenma was not the only one in the room. There were three other boys, two of which she had never seen before, in the room. Kuwabara and a boy with long, red hair were seated on the couch and the other boy, who was on the short side, was leaning against the wall. All of their attention was solely placed on the huge television in front of them. It seemed they were watching a fight. They had yet realized that she was there.

"Whoa! You beat him to a pulp!" Kuwabara commented, in his usual unduly, scruffy tone.

"Ahem." Avari cleared her throat rather loudly. Koenma looked away from the screen and saw her.

"Oh, Avari! I was wondering when you would be coming," Koenma said.

"Who are they?" Avari questioned, pointing at the boys, who had just turned to look at her.

"Oh, yes! You still haven't met the other Spirit Detectives," Koenma said. "This is Kurama." He pointed to the long, red-haired boy seated on the couch, who gave her a kind smile. "...Kuwabara, who you already know..." He pointed to Kuwabara, who winked at her. This made her twitch. "...and Hiei." At saying this, he pointed to the midget with gravity-defying hair who just looked at her carelessly.

"I'm Avari," Avari said back with a friendly smile.

"So, what seems to be the problem? Where's Yusuke?" Koenma continued.

"Did Urameshi do something stupid?" Kuwabara asked.

"He sure did! He got himself turned into this!" Avari said, holding up the ferret.

At that exact moment, Koenma and Kuwabara burst out into fits of uncontrollable laughter. Kurama let out a light chuckle, while Hiei tried to keep a straight face, but utterly failed and cracked a smirk. Avari scowled and looked a little angry.

"This... -laughs-...is no time...-laughs again- for jokes...-more laughter- Avari..."Koenma said and erupted into more laughter.

"I'M SERIOUS!" Avari shouted, causing the room to fall silent. "He touched the necklace, which had an enchantment, and turned into this...thing!" She referred to the ferret, who was sniffing the air with its little black nose.

"I'll look for someone to turn him back into a human," Koenma said, when he had finally regained his composure. "In the meantime, I'll need you to take care of him."

"Or you could just leave him that way!" Kuwabara exclaimed, snickering a little.

"It does suit him well," Kurama agreed, lightly chuckling.

"Hn, I agree." Hiei said, still smirking slightly.

"You're all impossible!" Avari yelled angrily. "Here's your damn necklace!" She slammed the box containing the necklace on Koenma's desk. "Call me when you find a solution." Using one of her spy gadgets, she conjured up a portal and walked through.

Once she was gone, the boys erupted into laughter once again.

**-Back at Genkai's-**

The portal took Avari back to the courtyard in front of Genkai's temple. It was pitch black out and the only source of light came from the crescent moon and the scattered stars hanging in the sky above. With the ferret (Yusuke) still in her arms, she climbed up the steps leading up to the porch and went into the temple. She quietly tiptoed down the hall, to make sure she didn't wake up Genkai.

Once she was in her room, she put the ferret down and looked at her alarm clock. It was now 12:30 A.M. She sighed and went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas.

When she came back out, she found that the ferret (Yusuke) was curled up on the end of her bed, fast asleep. _He looks so adorable... _She thought to herself, as she crawled under the covers, being careful not to disturb him. After turning out the light, she laid her head down and fell asleep, exhausted from a long, confusing day.

"Yusuke" opened his eyes and saw that Avari was asleep. Quietly and discreetly, the ferret got up and made its way up to Avari's pillow. He sniffed her ear, causing her to smile in her sleep, and curled up in a ball on her pillow. Moments later, he fell asleep as well. The room was now silent and still; the only noise was the light breathing of Avari and "Yusuke".

**-In the Morning. 7 AM.-**

_BEEP! BEEP!_went the alarm clock. Avari stirred and blinked open her eyes. _The start of another day..._

She looked over at "Yusuke", who was still sound asleep. He looked so peaceful and cuddly, that she almost wished she didn't have to wake him up. Gently, she shook "Yusuke" and his huge, brown eyes opened. _So cute... _Avari thought. Soon, she got up and proceeded in getting ready for school.

**-In the Kitchen. 7:30 AM.- **

Avari entered the kitchen to see Genkai sitting down, sipping coffee like she did on a daily basis. Upon her entrance, Genkai looked up from her coffee to acknowledge Avari's presence.

"Morning, Avi-chan. What's behind your back?" Genkai inquired. Sure enough, Avari **did **have her hands behind her back.

"Yeah... Well, last night during the mission, Yusuke had to be his usual dimwitted self and got turned into this..." Avari answered and pulled her hands out from behind her back to reveal the ferret, Yusuke.

For a couple seconds, Genkai just sat there, staring at Avari with a blank expression. She then burst out into peals of laughter. Tears came into Genkai's eyes, she was laughing so hard. During this, Avari just stood there, getting frustrated and angry. Why didn't anyone see how serious this was!

Finally, after a good 10 minutes, the laughter subsided and Genkai managed to speak. "You should keep him like that," she said and burst out laughing once again.

Avari had about had it with everyone not seeing the significance of the dilemma. Yes, Yusuke was cute and huggable, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he was in a form that might not be reversible. He might never be human again.

She decided to ignore the laughing and went about her day. "I'm going to school now! Watch Yusuke for me!" she yelled over Genkai's laughter, as she shut the door behind her, leaving the ferret behind.

Once outside, she took in a breath of fresh air and began the walk to school, alone. Hopefully, the day wouldn't be **too **different without Yusuke.

**-At Sarayashiki Junior High School. 8:00 AM-**

Avari was at her locker, attempting to open it. The noise of the other students walking past, going about there ways to class was in the background. _34...15...No wait, it was 16... Then, 23... _She thought as she spun the dial to put in the numbers. Finally, she got it right and succeeded in opening the locker. Bending down, she got a book out of the bottom of her locker. Someone walking by came to a stop beside her locker. She looked up and saw Keiko.

"Hey, Keiko," Avari said carelessly and continued rummaging through her locker.

"Hi! I haven't Yusuke yet. Did he decide to skip school?" Keiko asked, looking through the crowd of passing students, half expecting Yusuke to show up out of nowhere.

"Actually, I have seen him, but I don't think he'll be coming to school for awhile," Avari replied.

"Oh. Did he get hurt or something?" Keiko asked, sounding concerned.

"Well, I guess you could say that..." Avari said. "I know this may sound stupid and its not a joke either, but Yusuke had to be dimwitted and got himself turned into a ferret..."

"Wow... I can believe that. He's done lots of stupid things... He even died once. I'll just have to add this one to my list," Keiko said, not sounding too surprised. "Well, I hope he's back to normal soon. See you in class!" She then turned around and walked down the hall, as if nothing had happened.

Avari just stood there are a minute and blinked. "She took that well..." she said to herself and shrugged. She closed her locker and walked down the hall with an armful of books to her homeroom.

The rest of the day was pretty boring. All of her morning classes were dreary and dull. Most of the time, she would just stare out of the window and daydream. After the bell would ring to signal that class was over, she would lag behind and be last to leave. Without Yusuke there to talk with and make her laugh, she felt lonely.

At lunch, she sat alone under a tree and ate in silence. Yes, silence was golden, but it could get really lonely without someone to talk to. Everyone else just ignored her and socialized with their little band of friends. Keiko would have eaten with her, but she had gone to a student council meeting. Even eating with Kuwabara would have been better than nothing, but he hadn't shown up to school. She felt like an outsider, a foreigner, or just plain invisible.

Her afternoon classes weren't any better than her morning ones. They just seemed to drag on and on... While the teacher continuously spit out useless information, Avari spaced out and doodled on her paper. A few times, she was called on for answers and miraculously, she knew them. When the last bell rang, she remained seated and it took her a couple minutes to realize that school was over for the day. She quickly stopped at her locker and then raced out of the school back to Genkai's. She could finally go home and get rid of the loneliness that had been building up all day.

As soon as she had arrived home, Avari had changed and trained for several hours, while "Yusuke" watched and Genkai yelled. Then she ate dinner and directly afterward, she had

retreated to her room to do homework and sleep.

This soon became her usual routine. She would attend school, come home, train hard, eat dinner and go to her room. On weekends, she would spend all her time training and studying; not much difference between the week and weekend rituals. All during this time, Koenma hadn't called her once to go on a mission or with any updates on finding a cure or not. It was driving her crazy.

Over the passing weeks, "Yusuke" **was **there, but then he wasn't. He was a ferret, after all. He couldn't speak or do anything to really participate in her life, except play the role similar to that of a pet.

**-Three Weeks Later. Sunday Night. 7 PM.-**

Avari was seated on her window seat, with "Yusuke" in her lap. She was staring out at the sky, that was just starting to turn black, as she stroked "Yusuke's" furry head. His fur was very soft and warm, giving her a sense of relaxation and comfort.

Many different thoughts were running through her head. _It feels like a part of me is missing. I've barely known Yusuke for a month, actually its more like a week since he's not really here, but already he's very important to me... And I really care about him. It's just really hard to imagine that he might not be around anymore. He will be here, but technically he won't... _Avari thought and let out a sigh.

"I know that I hardly know you, but I really miss you, Yusuke," Avari whispered to the ferret, who replied with the most adorable stare with his big, brown eyes. She remained on the window seat and eventually drifted off to sleep, with "Yusuke" still curled up in her lap.

**-Monday Morning. 5 AM.-**

_Ring! Ring! _The noise caused Avari to stir and lift her head. She looked around at where she was and got up. _Ring! Ring! _It sounded again. She followed the ringing to the source.

It was coming from her compact on her bedside table. Hastily, she picked it up and opened it. Koenma's face was visible on the screen.

"Good morning, Avari!" Koenma said, sounding extra cheery.

"What are you so cheery about!" Avari said, sounding agitated. "It's **5 AM** and I'm still half-asleep! This better be good!"

"You will be relieved to know that I think we may have found a cure for Yusuke," Koenma said happily, as he folded his hands on top of the desk.

After he said these words, Avari's eyes widened. Suddenly, she felt more awake.

"I'll be right there!" she said and shut the compact.

She grabbed her spy belt and fumbled around with the gadgets on it for a few minutes until she found what she needed; her portal ring. Using it, she made a portal to Koenma's and after grabbing "Yusuke" she walked through.

Note-And that's it! What could possibly be the cure to turn Yusuke back into a human? Will the cure even work? Will Yusuke remember anything that happened over the last three weeks? Find out in the next chapter of **The Power Locked Within!** And please remember to REVIEW! I would like to know if people like my writing at all.


	11. Seeking Out the Solution

A/N- Long time, no update! heh heh... It's been about (or over) 2 months since I last updated... Desperately sorry about that one! Got a little too involved in my sports and school... Good news is that I only have about 3 more weeks left of school! I am seriously going to try and update once a week from now on though! I have **big** plans for this story! Now... Enough of my babbling, On with the story!

**Chapter 11: Seeking Out the Solution**

The doors to the office flew open and hit the wall with a "**BANG!**" Koenma looked up from his stack of papers. There in the doorway stood Avari, still in her pajamas. She quickly walked over to Koenma's desk and plopped down in the chair seated in front of him.

"Spill it," was all she said.

"Let me call in the others first," Koenma said. He told a passing ogre to get the other Spirit Detectives.

The whole time she waited for them to come, Avari just sat there mumbling incoherent curses and harshly stroking the ferret in her lap. She hated it when something she wanted to know very badly was right there in front of her, but she couldn't have it yet. Koenma knew she was growing restless by the way she kept fidgeting in her chair. Finally, after a good 5 minutes, Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara walked into the office.

"Now, out with it!" Avari snapped. Her sudden outburst scared the poor ferret in her lap, making him squeak and hide under the chair.

"Alright!" Koenma said. He pushed a button and a huge, snow capped mountain came up on the huge screen behind him. "This is Kashimi Mountain," he explained.

"Yeah, and what the hell do you expect us to do there? Go _skiing_! We have bigger fish to fry, toddler bitch!" Avari yelled. It was evident that she had no patience... whatsoever.

"I was getting to that..." Koenma mumbled. Her attitude was starting to get on his nerves. "As I was saying..." he continued, glaring at Avari. "An old priestess lives on this mountain. You are all to climb the mountain, find her, get her to change Yusuke back into a human and leave. Simple as that." He opened a drawer in his desk and retrieved a sack, which he placed on the desk. "This will be the payment for her services."

"Her services?" Avari inquired, with a disgusted look. "You make it sound like she's a whore or something. That's sick." Everyone formed a sweat drop on their foreheads... This was getting a little scary.

Koenma sighed and buried his face in his hand. _This girl is impossible... What made me hire her in the first place... _"Just go and do what I said. It's the only way to change Yusuke back," he said.

"You've got it!" Avari said. She jumped up out of her chair and raised her hand triumphantly in the air. "Ready team!" she said and turned to Kurama, Hiei and Kuwabara.

They all just stared at her. _What's she on? _they all thought.

**Some time passes by...**

And so, that very morning, Team Urameshi (plus Avari and a rather furry version of Yusuke) set out for Kashimi Mountain with high hopes to bring there friend back as a human. They were just starting to climb the mountain, when Avari realized something.

"Uh-oh... Did any of you guys happen to grab the money to pay the priestess?" Avari asked, sounding worried.

"I took the liberty of bringing it," Kurama replied, who was climbing right below her.

"Oh, good. For a second there, I thought we were going to have to go all the way back..." she said, letting out a sigh.

Hours and hours seemed to fly by as the team continued to climb the mountain rock by rock. The air seemed to be getting chillier and chillier the higher they climbed.

"It's cold," Kuwabara randomly said at one point.

"No shit Sherlock," Avari replied. She began to shiver as chills went down her spine. Snow covered the ground all around them. They

should be getting closer.

Finally, they spotted a ledge with smoke rising from it. _That must be where the priestess is, _they all thought. Hastily, the four frost-bitten Spirit World employees and a furry creature asleep in Avari's backpack, climbed onto the ledge and walked into the entrance of a cave.

There in the corner sat an old woman. She was dressed in a white kimono tied with a midnight blue sash. Her ebony hair was showing signs of age from all the gray streaking through it.

The whole team walked up to the entrance of her cave. She didn't seem to acknowledge there presence though because she continued to work intently on chopping up various herbs.

_"Let me do the talking," _Kurama said telepathically to the others. He cleared his throat loudly, making her look up.

"Can I help you?" the old woman said in a raspy voice.

"You wouldn't happen to be the priestess who lives on this mountain, would you?" Kurama asked politely.

"I am her. What is it that you want with me exactly?" she said, giving them a suspicious look with her cold, piercing black eyes.

"Well, you see. Our friend was turned into a creature with a strange enchantment and we just wished to have him changed back,"

Kurama explained.

"Come on in and sit then," she said, getting up from her spot on the floor. She motioned for the others to come and sit around the fire in the cave. They all sat down on the dirt floor and took a good look around.

The cave was a fairly good size. Many different herbs and leaves were hanging to dry on the ceiling. Vases and vials of odd looking liquids were lined up on shelves all over. Then there was the fire in the very center of the room. Besides these things, there wasn't really anything special about the cave. It was just a home to an elderly priestess.

"I have just one more question," the priestess said. "What's in it for me if I can change your friend back?" She eyed Avari's locket, the locket passed down generations in her family, the locket Yamiko was after. "Perhaps that locket around the young girl's neck?"

"Uh...I'm sorry but-" Avari started to say, but Kurama quickly interrupted her.

"We'll give you this," he said and placed the sack of money from Koenma before the old woman.

The aged priestess picked up the sack and weighed it in her hand. After a moment or two of contemplation, she put it in pocket.

"You've got a deal," she said. "Where's the creature?"

"He's right here," Avari said. She pulled out the ferret from inside her backpack. It sniffed the air with its wet, black nose.

"Interesting..." the priestess said to herself. She rubbed her chin with her thumb and thought for a moment. "I'll need to place a spell on him and then have one transfer some of your human energy to him."

"What do you mean when you say 'transfer human energy'?" Kurama inquired.

"I mean that one of you must kiss him," the priestess said simply. All of the guys went pale and then looked at Avari.

"That's her job!" the three Spirit Detectives said, pointing to Avari. She turned red as a tomato. It was only logical that she do it... I mean, she **had **kissed him before, but not in front of everyone... And she was the only girl...

"Okay. Put the spell on him and I'll do it, but no one's looking!" Avari said.

"Aw man! You're no fun, Avari! I could tease you for life about this one!" Kuwabara complained. The others ignored Kuwabara and turned to the priestess.

"Hand over the ferret, please," she said.

Avari handed Yusuke to her. The priestess placed the furry creature on the ground and began to chant words of an ancient language. An orb of light formed over head of "Yusuke" and was soon absorbed by his body.

"There you go. Now all that's left is to kiss him," the priestess said. She got up and walked out of the cave. Soon after, Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara (how had to be dragged out by Kurama) walked out as well. This left Avari alone with "Yusuke".

_I can't believe I'm going to kiss this thing... I mean, it's Yusuke, but then again...not really. Is this even sanitary? Could I get herpes or something? _Avari held the ferret in her hands and brought him up to her face._ Aww.. He's so cute, but I miss having the real Yusuke around... _She looked at him in the eyes. _I feel like the princess in that fairy tale who had to kiss the frog to turn him back into a prince... Except, he's a ferret... and I'm definitely not royalty... Oh, same difference! Well, here goes nothing! _She brought the ferret closer to her face and pressed her lips on its.

A few seconds later, Avari began to feel light headed. Just how much human energy did this procedure take? Just as soon as she took her lips off of the ferret, everything went blank...

**More time passes by...**

Avari opened her eyes and blinked a few times. She sat up and looked around. There she was, in her bed, in her bedroom, back at Genkai's. What had happened? How had she gotten back here? Hastily, she pulled back the covers and walked down the hallway.

The sound of voices was coming from the kitchen. She walked into the kitchen and found that Kurama, Kuwabara, and Genkai were seated at the table. Hiei was leaning against the wall in the corner, being antisocial as usual. Right at that moment, the back door opened and in the doorway stood none other than Yusuke.

"Here's your damn hamburgers! Why the hell did I have to go get them anyway!" he said, placing bags of food on the kitchen table.

Avari's eyes widened. It had been so long since she had heard that voice.

Without thinking twice, she ran up to Yusuke and hugged him. She felt two strong arms wrap around her, making her feel safe and comforted. She had missed those arms and the person they were attached to.

"I missed you," Yusuke whispered in her ear.

"I missed you, too," Avari whispered back.

Ignoring the "Aww's" from the others (except Hiei obviously, who just looked uninterested), Yusuke leaned in and kissed her.

Avari smiled. She was in bliss...

**There's more to come...**

Note-And that's the chapter! I'm trying to work on making my writing a little better...more appealing? I don't know... Just **REVIEW** and let me know what you think. What other adventures are in store for the Spirit Detectives and Avari? Find out next time on, **The Power Locked Within**!


	12. The Promise

A/n- Woohoo! I actually updated quickly this time! Anyway, thanks for the encouraging reviews everyone:-D I'm truly greatful! I would have posted this sooner, but fanfiction kept saying "servers overloaded"...grr.. Well, enjoy!

**Chapter 12: The Promise**

After the "ferret" incident, things went back to normal. Yusuke and Avari went to school and training on a regular basis. Koenma hadn't called on them for new missions lately. Life was smooth sailing and as time was going by, they seemed to be growing closer and closer. Everything in their relationship and everyday lives was going great.

On this particular day, it would have been three weeks since Yusuke turned back into a human. Avari and Yusuke were sitting in math class, bored out of their minds. The teacher just wouldn't stop going on about polynomials and binomials...or whatever they were called!

"I'm passing back your tests from last week," the teacher announced and handed out the papers.

Avari had her paper placed on the desk in front of her. "Yes! Another 100!" she cried joyfully. Turning around to face the person behind her, she asked, "What did you get, Yusuke?"

"Get this!" he said, happily. "A 16! That's 4 points better than last time!"

"That's...um...nice...?" she replied unsurely and did an anime fall out of her chair.

**After school...**

Avari stood in front of the big, iron gates outside of the school and looked around. Where was he? He said to meet him at the usual spot so they could go to training together... and he normally didn't make her wait.

"Sorry I'm late!" a voice called from her left. She looked over and saw Yusuke.

"Finally. I've been waiting for about 5 minutes," she said, but then smiled. Yusuke gave her a little kiss on the cheek, sort of as an apology .

"Before we go back to Genkai's, do you want to go down to the river?" Yusuke asked. "It's a really nice day for a walk."

"Why not," Avari replied and grabbed his hand.

**At the river...**

The two teenagers sat down on the riverbank and took in all of the lovely things surrounding them. It was truly a gorgeous day. The sun shined radiantly and warmed them as a cool breeze blew by. There wasn't a single cloud to be seen for miles in the baby blue sky. The grass they were seated on was a healthy green and the buttercups and violets were just starting to pop up everywhere.

"You know, it's times like these that make you feel like all of your problems just melted away," Avari said thoughtfully, breaking the silence that had been between them. "Almost like you're living in a dreamland..."

"I know what you mean," Yusuke replied, looking out at the river.

"But, I guess you just have to wake up and smell the coffee... This is the real world. You will always have problems... big or small. Nothing's perfect," Avari said, letting out a sigh. She looked down at the locket dangling from her neck. It was the source of all the problems she had in the past... and would probably have in the future. "I must admit that I'm afraid of Yamiko. He could probably show up at any given moment, take the locket and kill me if he wanted to..." she said in all seriousness.

"We all have things that we're afraid of..." Yusuke said. He looked over at Avari and moved closer toward her. Taking her hands in his and looking her straight in the eyes, he spoke clearly and surely, "I want to make a promise to you. I promise that I will never let anything bad happen to you. I will always be there to protect you, no matter what. I won't let Yamiko set a single one of his grimy fingers on you ever."

"Thank you, Yusuke," Avari said, sounding relieved. She pulled Yusuke into a loving hug.

With her safe in his arms, Yusuke whispered, "You have nothing to worry about, Avari."

_Do-doot do do do do doot do-doot... _They heard the sound of musical bells playing in the distance. What a great way to ruin a perfect moment...

"Hey! Is that the ice cream man!" Yusuke said with his eyes lighting up.

"I'm pretty sure it is..." Avari said, looking at Yusuke weirdly. O.o

"Do you want some ice cream then?" he offered.

"Uh... Only if you feel like it. It doesn't really matter to me.." Avari replied, sounding unsure.

"Okay!" Yusuke replied, jumping up eagerly and following the sound of the approaching ice cream truck. This left Avari all alone on the river bank.

A moment later, she heard a twig snap behind her.

"That was fast, Yu-" Avari said, turning around. "-suke?" She stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw who was behind her, and it definitely wasn't Yusuke.

Right there in front of her stood a purple skinned demon who was about 6 foot 9 and had two horns on his forehead. Also, on his forehead, he bore the red X of Yamiko's men.

At the sight of him, Avari tensed up. What did Yamiko want now? She stood up and prepared to call on her Spirit Dagger. Never, in a million years, would she let Yamiko get his way and gain the power of the Raji family's heirloom, her locket.

"What do you want!" Avari barked at the demon.

"No need to be hostile," the demon said calmly. "I come only as a messenger."

At his words, Avari eased up a little. He was most likely speaking the truth. Yamiko's men may be bone crushers, but they were always honest. She knew this from experience. Besides, the demon didn't even have a weapon.

"Out with it then!" she yelled impatiently.

"Master Yamiko says that this is the final straw. Either you hand over the locket..." the demon spoke. "Or he will make sure to target all of those that are close to you."

"You can go tell my brother dearest that he's not getting the locket! Not now! Now ever!" Avari yelled angrily.

"Have it your way..." the demon said with a smirk. "I will deliver your message to Master Yamiko. I suggest you keep a watchful eye on all of your loved ones from now on." With that said, he turned around and left.

Moments went by and Avari cooled down a bit. She sat down on the riverbank again and hugged her knees to her chest. Should she tell Yusuke about this? No, it would worry him too much. In fact, it would worry everyone. Best to keep it on the down low. But, who knew what horrible things Yamiko had in store for her? Only time could tell...

"Here's your ice cream. Sorry I took so long," Yusuke said, handing her a sugar cone full of Double Fudge Brownie ice cream.

"Thanks," Avari said meekly.

"Are you okay? You seem...out of it," Yusuke said, looking slightly worried. He sat down next to Avari.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking about things... That's all. No need to worry," Avari said and smiled weakly. She looked down at her ice cream cone and licked it. Even though it was her favorite flavor, it was hard to enjoy it. It felt like a weight was sitting in her stomach. She hated keeping something from Yusuke, but it was for his own good.

**Until next time...**

What does Yamiko have in store for Avari and the YYH characters? Will someone end up dying? -gasp- No, I'm not that mean! Some **bad** things are in store for Avari and the others though! Tune in next time for another amusing episode of **The Power Locked Within!**


	13. False Accusations

A/n- I'm losing inspiration for this story... The way I have it planned, I have at least 6 more chapters to write. I'm thinking of either discontinuing it or putting it on hold. If enough of you review saying you want me to continue, I will sit down and really get to work so I can just finish it before school starts and I'm too busy to write... You tell me what you think I should do...

****

Chapter Thirteen: False Accusations

It was a beautiful Friday night. The sky was clear and full of light given off by the moon and the stars. It was one of those nights where you just wanted to go outside and sleep in a secluded area to appreciate the stars and indulge in all of night's pleasures.

Avari left her window open so that the cool, soon to be summer breeze could flow in. She was the only one present in the temple at the time. Genkai and Yusuke had gone out for late night training in the woods. She would have gone with them, but it had been a busy week for her and some alone time was what she needed.

The clock on her bedside table read 10:30 p.m. In other words, time for bed. She laid her head down on the soft pillow and allowed sleep to take over.

****

2 A.M.

Only a few hours had gone by since Avari had gone to sleep. It seemed that there was no one around as a gust of wind picked up, blowing the curtains away from the sill of the open window.

A dark, mysterious figure peeked into the open window and, once it realized the coast was clear, climbed into the window.

Inside, the figure did nothing more than noiselessly tiptoe into the room and place a green-glowing object on top of the mahogany dresser. As "it" was quietly going back towards the window after completing the task, a floor board creaked. Avari rolled around over in her sleep after the slight disturbance, but did not stir any more. The figure moved on and succeeded in climbing out of the window and escaping from Genkai's property unnoticed and undetected.

**Saturday morning, 10 A.M.**

Avari's eyes shot open. An annoyingly loud beeping sound had been set off. What the hell was that noise? It was coming from right next to her on her left. She looked over and sure enough, her compact was sitting there on her bedside table, ringing.

"Oh, its only that," she muttered, letting out a groan. Hastily, she grabbed it, flipped it open and looked at it. "Hello?" She let out a little yawn.

"Avari," Koenma, who's face was on the screen, said. "I need to have a serious talk with you."

"What's it about?" Avari said groggily.

"I'll tell you when you get here," Koenma said in all seriousness.

"Alright, I'm coming," she replied, sighing in defeat.

"And don't forget to bring your compact and all of your spy gadgets," he added quickly before she closed the compact.

Avari pulled the covers off of her and stretched, letting out another sleepy groan. She walked across the room to her closet and grabbed the nearest jeans and shirt.

As she dressed, she began to wonder why Koenma had asked her to bring her gadgets with her. Surely, if he had been calling about a mission, he could have just explained it to her on the compact. Maybe he was going to upgrade her equipment... or have her turn them in for **new** ones!

She had finished dressing now and was placing her brush on top of her dresser when she noticed something. There was a ring there that hadn't been there before. Had Yusuke or Genkai left it there for some reason? She picked it up.

It was a very stunning ring, what with its deep, emerald green gem set on a glittering golden band. She could have sworn it was giving off a faint, hardly noticeable glow of green. Curiously, she placed it on her ring finger. It fit perfectly. What a nice treasure to find...

_I guess it's mine now. It was in my room, after all,_ she thought._ As the old saying goes, Finders keepers, Losers weepers._

****

In Spirit World, 11 A.M.

Avari had just been spit out onto the floor by her portal, which she conjured up with her Portal Necklace. Now, she was standing before Koenma's office doors as ogre after ogre ran this way and that with papers a mile high. At that moment, Jorge Saotome, the blue ogre, walked by.

"Hi, Jorge," Avari said rather cheerily, giving a little wave.

Jorge just looked at her. His eyes seemed to widen in surprise, or was it terror? He squeaked and quickly turned around to run back the way he had come.

Why he did this, Avari didn't understand. Jorge and her had always been good acquaintances. Why would he be scared of her? Perhaps he was nervous about something else? Had Koenma throw him out of his office again for doing something idiotic? Pushing it into the back of her mind, she opened the double doors.

Behind them, she found Koenma seated at his desk. He motioned for her to sit down in the chair before his desk. As she did so, he refolded his hands and placed them professionally on his desk.

"Avari, where exactly were you last night?" Koenma asked, staring directly into Avari's violaceous eyes.

"I was at home asleep, like any normal person," Avari replied. Why was he asking such a simple question?

"That's not quite the truth, from what I saw. Maybe you'll understand when you see this," Koenma said. He pressed a big, green button on his desk. The TV screen behind him switched on and a video started to play.

The video showed a figure darting down a long tunnel. There was a swish of silver hair as it narrowly missed being hit with hundreds of tranquilizer needles. The scene switched to another location, where the same figure was punching numbers into a security panel. The doors before the person slid open and it walked in. Seconds later, the figure emerged from the doorway and seemed to be putting a little package into its pocket. When it was done doing that, it took off in a sprint again. It was here that you got a closer view of the person. Koenma paused it. To Avari's utter surprise, there on the screen, undoubtedly, was... her!

She gaped at this. She had neverbeen anywhere that looked like that. According to the time on the video, it had been 12 A.M. when she had taken the object. That was when she had been home, sound asleep. She didn't know what to say. How could she deny doing that when the proof was right there in front of them?

"That was a video from the surveillance cameras down in Spirit World's vaults. I was very surprised when one of my security guards informed me that the Ring of Euphoria had been stolen and showed me this video. Do you know how serious this is?" Koenma said before Avari could say anything.

"Koenma, I didn't-" she started, but he interrupted her.

"At first, I didn't believe it. Once they did a DNA scan and it matched yours perfectly, I had to," Koenma said. He lowered his voice. "Do you know how much trouble you could get in? You could be arrested and thrown into jail for years. I thought that I would just call you down here first and talk about it before resorting to drastic measures."

"Koenma, you **have** to believe me! I **didn't **do that!" Avari pleaded, looking him straight in the eyes.

"Avari, if you didn't do it, then _why_ is the Ring of Euphoria on your finger?" Koenma said, lifting up an eyebrow andpointing at her left hand.

Avari brought her hand up to her face and looked down at the ring on her finger. It was the ring she had found on her dresser and put on this morning. This was the Ring of Euphoria? How had it gotten into her room in the first place? Had someone controlled her mind and made her do it? Had she been sleepwalking?

"You must be mistaken. I found this ring on my dresser this morning. I had never seen it before then," Avari replied. "Someone must have set me up! You know you can trust my word! I've been working for you a long time!" Koenma had to believe her. She knew she hadn't done it and she didn't want to go to jail.

"Avari! You saw it all! From what I know, you did it and that's that!" Koenma exclaimed. He stared at her. "I am sorry, but I am going to have to fire you from Spirit World. The trust we had has been taken advantage of and no longer exists."

"If you really trusted me, you would know that I'm telling the honest-to-God truth!" Avari yelled. His stares were boring holes in her. She could feel her eyes beginning to water. Why didn't he believe her?

"I would like you to hand over your spy gadgets, compact and, above all, the Ring of Euphoria before you leave," Koenma said sternly. He was still staring at her. "I don't want to create a mess, so do as I say, please."

Avari could tell he wasn't going to listen to her anymore, no matter how much she pleaded or protested. Without hesitating, she slammed the ring and herspy gadgets down on the desk. She did not look Koenma in the eye the whole time.

"Thank you, Avari," Koenma said, his voice a little softer than before.

Abruptly, Avari turned around and headed towards the door, without looking him in the eyes again. The walk from the chair to the door seemed like it took forever. Finally, once her hand was on the door knob, she paused. She turned around and looked up at Koenma.

For the first time, he noticed her eyes were red and puffy. Her nose was slightly pink as well. Her mouth was cast down in a quivering frown. She looked absolutely miserable. Looking Koenma directly in the eyes, she spoke.

"Koenma," she started. "I looked at you not only as an honest and fair ruler, but also as the _brother_ I was supposed to have... But now... I don't know..." She continued to stare at him for a moment to allow for the words to sink in.

Before she turned around to leave, Koenma saw a single tear fall from her eye and down her already tear-stained cheek. This made him break inside. He had just broken a young girl's spirit. This was not just any young girl, this was his close friend... No, this was his _sister_. He had a deep feeling of regret, but knew that he had had to do it, all for the sake of Spirit World.

Without another word, Avari turned around and walked through the door. She let it slam behind her.

Once on the other side, Avari leaned against the cherry wood door. She allowed herself to slide down onto the floor, the door still supporting her back and her legs sprawling out on the cold, marble floor. Tears began to stream down her cheeks at an even faster rate than before. As the ogres continued to go every which was in this room, she just sat there, contemplating.

Being a spy was one of the few things that gave her purpose in life, along with Genkai and her friends. The job that she loved doing most was now gone... and it wasn't even her fault. She may have even just lost one of her closest friends, too. Why did this world have to be unfair!

She continued to sit there, sulking in her grief. Then, something hit her. She remembered the warning from one of Yamiko's men a few weeks back. This whole thing had probably been Yamiko's doing! He just got her fired and ruined a friendship in one blow! That bastard... When she saw him, she was going to wrip him limb from limb!

A new rage was ablaze inside of her, but soon died down. Alas, she did not know where Yamiko was... She would just have to wait until he came for her locket. He was going to do that sooner or later. He probably just wanted Avari to suffer a little before he did. She would have to be prepared for the worst in the future.

-To be continued? You tell me!


	14. Target Practice

**A/n-**I kept procrastinating on updating the story, probably from lack of enthusiasm and inspiration, but I am back and in action! I'm really going to try and get this story done before summer starts, so that I can start some new fanfics! XD But, here's the new chapter! Only 5ish more to go!

**Chapter 14: Target Practice**

Avari's shoes made a light _tip tap _on the worn, stone steps as she climbed them. Her pace was slow, yet steady and reflected exactly how she felt; sad, yet determined. The day's past events had hung a heavy weight of sorrow and hopelessness on her heart, but it also focused her more on defeating Yamiko. She wanted revenge... No, wait. Wanting that would only prove her mindset to be that of a villain, which she definitely wasn't. In truth, she just wanted to prevent what she knew would become a string of problems. Losing her job was only the start; it was the first domino to fall. Soon, everything else would fall and create a domino effect. For the time being, she would try to be more optimistic.

The distance between her and the temple was becoming less and less. Wiping away her last tears, she prepared herself to face Genkai and Yusuke. She wasn't going to tell them right away about her getting fired, but she knew she couldn't wait too long to tell them. Genkai and Yusuke were still in affiliations with Koenma and they were bound to find out sooner or later. However, she was still a bit sensitive to the issue; she didn't even want to talk about it with her boyfriend, and that was saying something. Normally, she was an open book with Yusuke. They discussed anything and everything that was on their minds and that was what made their relationship so strong.

After taking off her shoes, Avari slid open the front door. As she walked inside, something didn't seem right. It was silent. She had expected to hear Yusuke's complaining and Genkai's barking of commands coming from the training hall, but that wasn't the case.

"Is anyone home?" Avari called out, interrupting the silence. Her voice echoed in the foyer and down the long passageway.

No one replied.

She walked deeper into the dojo, finding no trace of a human presence. No one was in the kitchen, the dining room, the training room, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, no where.

This was not good.

Avari's heart started pounding. She could hear the blood rushing in her head. Images of Yusuke and Genkai being hauled away by big, burly men flashed into her mind. Had Yamiko been sneaky enough to have them kidnapped while she had been out? Were Yusuke and Genkai locked up in some unknown fortress? Or were they...dead? If she found out Yamiko had done anything...

Wait! Hadn't Yusuke and Genkai been out on a training trip? At this realization, Avari's heart slowed down and she relaxed a bit. She looked at her watch. 12 P.M. They were supposed to have been home by 10, but knowing Genkai, she had probably gotten a little carried away and lengthened the trip. They were_ just_ running late. She was only overreacting.

_Way to be more optimistic, Avari!_ she thought to herself, the statement reeking of sarcasm.

A stress-free Avari ventured down the hall to the training room. Standing in the doorway, she looked into the vast room. The majority of the room was empty; simply an open space of hard wood floor used for combat training. On the far right side of the room, however, was a set of weights and other workout equipment. Avari's eyes laid on the punching bag. It looked to be the most inviting thing in the room; the prefect way to blow off some steam.

She wrapped her hands tightly in white bandages and chalked her palms, preparing herself to give the inanimate object a proper beating. Taking a stance and moving her feet around a bit, Avari placed the first punch on the bag. It was hard and left a slight imprint on the leather covering. Already, she felt better. Training had always been a way she could let some her anger and frustration out. It didn't hurt anyone (unless she was sparring someone), but it also went to her benefit. It bettered her fighting skills.

Taking a deep breathe, she placed a hard kick on the punching bag. The impact sent the bag spinning. This felt great!

Avari grabbed the bag to steady it for the next hit. As she prepared for her next move, she found herself replacing the punching bag with an image of Yamiko. Although it had been quite a few years since she had seen him last, since he had left the family, she still remembered his face.

He had her same gleaming silver hair; they had both received the Raji hair from their father. However, Yamiko, instead of Avari's stunning purple eyes, had blue eyes. This came from the fact that they had different mothers. (Yamiko's mother died and then Avari's father remarried.) His eyes had to have been his most distinct feature. They were swirling cyclones of a deep, stark blue that you could get lost in. One glimpse and you could feel them bore into your soul, digging out your deepest, darkest secrets.

Placing this face on the punching bag, Avari felt a surge of energy flow throughout her body. She brought up her fists and rocked back and forth on her feet... Back and forth... Back and forth...

_This is for badgering me for MY family heirloom!_ Avari thought in rage.

She placed a hard kick where Yamiko's neck would have been.

_This is for ruining a great friendship!_

She hit the spot where she envisioned Yamiko's eye would be with a forceful punch.

_This is for making me lose my job!_

She punched the non-existent Yamiko in the cheek.

_AND THIS IS FOR BEING A NO GOOD, DIRTY, ROTTEN BASTARD!_

She raised her right leg to place a powerful kick on "Yamiko's" imaginary bal...

Avari stopped her kick in mid air and brought her leg down. She had heard the floor boards creak behind. Struggling to catch her breath and with her heart beating from her workout, Avari turned around to find none other than Yusuke standing in the middle of the training hall. How much of that had he seen? She felt the color rise in her cheeks.

"And that is why you always kick my ass at training," Yusuke said, smirking. He walked closer to Avari with his hands in his pockets. He was still clad in his training clothes and had his hair hanging down. It looked dewy with sweat (and quite sexy). It was obvious that he had just come back from training with Genkai... as Avari had presumed he had been doing.

Avari ripped the bandages off of her hands and walked closer to Yusuke. As she came closer to him, she couldn't help but notice that he was looking down at the floor. Was he avoiding eye contact with her? Was he hiding something from her? What could it be?

"Is something wrong?" she inquired, closing the gap between them. She was now only six inches away from his face. As she spoke, she stared up at him, directly into his eyes. They were his same delicious chocolate-brown eyes, but they were filled with... concern? Something had to be wrong...

"Well, I don't know that entire story," Yusuke began. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and proceeded to hold Avari's delicate, yet clammy hands in his strong, callused ones. Looking her in the eye, he continued. "But, Koenma called me..."

Avari shifted under Yusuke's intense gaze. Hearing that name made her feel rather uncomfortable at this point in time. Had Koenma called and told Yusuke about her getting fired? Maybe it was better that she wasn't the one who would have to tell him...

"He said that your friend Riley is in the hospital."

Avari's eyes widened in horror at these words. That was **not** what she had expected to hear. Her heart started pounding again, the blood rushing through her body multiple times faster than normal. So many questions filled her head. Yusuke pulled her into a loving embrace. What had happened? Was Riley in critical condition? Was she even alive? She would have asked these questions, but she was still too shocked to speak. Her mouth seemed glued shut, her head started to spin and her limbs felt immovable. If Yusuke hadn't have been supporting her, she would have fallen down onto the floor.

"They think she was attacked by someone or something," a voice from behind them proclaimed. It was Genkai. She had practically read Avari's mind. "She was found with a poisonous tranquilizer in her side."

"You don't think it was Yamiko, do you?" Yusuke asked, almost speaking for Avari. She was still taken aback by the news, still entangled in Yusuke's arms and soaking in all of this information like a sponge.

"I wouldn't be surprised if it was," Genkai replied. She came further into the room so that she was standing beside the couple.

Gathering up her strength, Avari opened her mouth to attempt to say something, but Genkai didn't even let her start.

"Yes, you can go see her," she said, taking the words right out of Avari's mouth. It seemed strange how Yusuke and Genkai could speak for her like that. Yes, they could have used their spirit energy to penetrate her mind, but they didn't really need to do that. They knew her too well and that was a good thing. This showed how unbelievably close their relationships were; how much they cared for her and vice versa.

"And I'll take you right now," Yusuke said softly, looking down at the silver-haired girl in his arms.

**------------At the Hospital------------**

Avari stood in front of an oak door. There it was. Room 712, mounted on the door in shining, bronze numbers. Hospital room of Riley Mesa. Just as the receptionist had said.

She had been frozen at that spot in front of the door for quite some time. She was afraid of what was inside. Her knowledge of the accident was limited. She didn't know the severity of the Riley's condition and that scared her. Was her friend unconscious? Or was she sleeping? Would she recover? Or was she on her death bed? So many questions were swirling around in Avari's head.

If Yusuke had been there, he would have made her face her fears and go inside. Alas, he had wanted her to do this on her own. It as her thing; Riley was her best friend, not his. Most likely, he was snoozing in the waiting room or chowing down in the cafeteria. The mere thought of him shoveling spoonfuls of food down in throat brought a smirk to her lips. He was one of a kind, that Yusuke.

On that much happier note, she finally gathered her courage and grasped the doorknob. The shiny, brass handle felt cold in her palm. It was now or never. Pushing it forward, the door swung to reveal your ordinary hospital room--glaring white surfaces, beds covered in linens, vases of flowers, chairs, televisions--the whole shebang!

Of the four beds in the room, only one was occupied. The outline of Riley's body lay in it. The continuous beeping of the heart-rate machine was the only sound to be heard. It was music to the ears. At least she was in a stable state. Avari walked in deeper, deeper into the dimly lit room, until she was hovering over the bed. The finer details of Riley's state of health were visible now.

The first thing Avari noticed was her body's rhythmic breathing. That was another good sign. However, the upsetting reality was how pale Riley looked. Her cheeks were no longer their normal rosy color, nor was her skin that beautiful tone of bronze that so many people envied. Even her lips looked to be the faintest shade of blue. This wasn't good...

At that moment, Riley's eyes shot open, making Avari jump back a few steps. So, she wasn't unconscious... Her eyes focused on Avari's face. They weren't the normal crystal blue eyes Avari normally saw. They were a drab, cloudy grey. Riley's lips curved into a blue smiley.

"I'm glad you're here," Riley whispered. Her voice sounded hoarse and raspy.

"I'm glad you're alive." Avari smiled back.

Plopping down in a swivel chair, Avari positioned herself at Riley's bedside. She grasped her hand, noticing how limp and cold it felt. Chills went down her spine. What the hell had been in that tranquilizer? Was it some kind of poison only found in Demon World? She had never seen such effects to poison.

"Are you feeling okay?" Avari inquired anxiously.

"I feel like I was left butt-naked in the Arctic," Riley replied, smirking a little. Even Avari had to smile at that comment. Despite her conditions, Riley still remained the same cheerful, humorous person she was.

Avari's happiness was soon turned back to concern for Riley began to shiver. Hastily, she grabbed some extra blankets from a closet and lay them over her friend. The shivering and quivering soon stopped and Avari resumed her seat.

"Do you remember anything that happened? Because if it was Yamiko, I'm going to hunt down-" Avari started, anger rising within her. She was interrupted by Riley.

"Don't go off on one of your little rants!" Riley warned, pointing her finger at Avari. Avari's rants could go on and on... "All I remember is feeling a sharp pain in my back and ending up here in a hospital bed. Okay?"

After this, the two girls sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. Avari's mind was swimming with thoughts, as Riley's probably was, too. She felt guilty for all of this. Yamiko (or rather, one of his loyal minions rather) had warned her about this, but she had been careless in her fight to protect her loved ones. While she had known perfectly well what was going to or could happen, she had just sat on her lazy ass and let it all take place. What a great friend she was! Now, because of her, Riley was lying in a hospital bed and walking the tightrope between life and death. Sure, she was alive, but the effects of the poison could get worse...

The tears Avari had been holding back before were now flowing freely. Through blurred eyes, Avari looked on Riley's colorless, deathlike face. She spoke her feelings out.

"Riley...I'm sorry I wasn't there to stop this. You, of all people, shouldn't have to go through this. I would gladly take your place, but I can't. What I can do is try my best to fight back. I promise I will defeat Yamiko... for your sake, Genkai's, Yusuke's and mine."

With her thoughts finally in the form of words, she closed her eyes and laid her head down on the bed. She was exhausted. This day had been the mother of all bad days. Losing a job, and hurting two friends, physically and emotionally, had all been accomplished and it wasn't even dinnertime! Could it get any worse?

Riley didn't know what to say to Avari. She knew that no matter how much she argued with Avari, she would still think that this whole stunt had been her fault. She would still take the blame and let the guilt build up on her shoulders. That's the kind of person she was; selfless and caring. She loved others more than she loved herself. The only thing she could do was to hug Avari and try to comfort her, to ease the pain. They could go through this together.

Moments later, a light tapping at the door startled the girls. They turned to see a red-haired woman dressed in scrubs standing in the doorway.

"Excuse me," the nurse said politely, "I have to cut your visit short. The doctor has strict visiting hours and Riley needs her rest."

"Oh, I understand," Avari replied, getting up from her seat. After giving Riley one last hug and promising to check up on her everyday, she left the room.

As she walked down the lengthy hallway, Avari realized how much better she felt now that she knew how Riley was. Even though Riley wasn't in the best condition, she at least knew that her best friend was healthy and in good hands. It removed a couple pounds from the bag of responsibility on her back. Now, she could focus more on protecting Genkai and Yusuke from Yamiko's clutches.

**-------------In the Waiting Room-----------**

Avari looked around the spacious room. It was packed with crying babies, busy doctors, chattering nurses, rushing EMTs, cranky elderly people and any person in between. All of the hustle and bustle made it hard for her to find the one person she was looking for, Yusuke. A few seconds later, she caught a glimpse of him.

He was over in the far right-hand corner, but he was boxed in. Boxed in how, you might ask? Well, a group of 5 or 6 elderly women were crowded around him, admiring his physique. One especially squat and wrinkly woman was feeling his muscular arm, while another woman was prodding his abdomen with her cane. She was almost testing its efficiency to repelling things. Yusuke noticed Avari and mouthed the word "Help!" to her. Hastily, she went over to his rescue.

"Look! It's Johnny Depp!" Avari exclaimed, pointing at the other side of the waiting room. None of the women seemed to notice. They continued their er... _inspection_ of Yusuke.

"Is that Orlando Bloom?" she tried again. At these words, the elderly women abandoned Yusuke and 'raced' to the other end of the waiting room. Apparently, they found Johnny to be a tad bit too old for their taste. They liked the uh... _fresher_ meat, as utterly wrong as it sounded. Avari took her chance and ran over to Yusuke.

"Thank you for saving me!" Yusuke cried out, throwing his arms around Avari. "Those old women have been molesting me for the past twenty minutes!"

"Glad to be of service," Avari replied, happily. "Let's get out of here before they realize I tricked them and they beat me down with their canes.

"I concur!" Yusuke replied, as they headed toward the exit.

------------------------

As they walked down the busy sidewalk back to Genkai's temple, Yusuke kept a firm grip on Avari's waist. Every time a stranger with shifty eyes would pass by, he would pull her even closer. It wasn't just now that he was acting this cautious, he had been quite clingy for a long while. Actually, it had been ever since he had promised to protect her. That had been weeks ago, after she had been threatened. With Yamiko fully on the move to ruin her life now, he had to keep an even closer eye on her.

"Koenma told Genkai and I," Yusuke said, looking down as he spoke. He had been itching to tell her this and he didn't want to keep his knowledge of it from her. Honesty was a major part of their relationship.

"Told you what?" Avari asked. For the umpteenth time that day, her heart rate picked up and she began to panic. Did he know about the day's earlier events?

"That you lost your job."

Well, her worst nightmare had been fulfilled. He knew. And she hadn't been the one to tell her. She looked down at the sidewalk in embarrassment. He probably thought she was a lying thief now and he had only been nice before to hide the fact that he knew.

Yusuke noticed how uncomfortable she looked. He brought their walking to a stop. Slowly, he placed his hand under her chin and lifted her head. He looked deep into her unnaturally purple eyes.

"I don't believe Koenma's story though," he said, sincerely. Her eyes were not those of a lying thief; they were of a sweet, yet suffering girl he cared deeply for.

"How could he blame such an innocent, trusting girl for stealing?"

At this moment, Avari had the courage to return his gaze. She stared back into his chocolate brown eyes. She felt herself turn to mush only seconds later. He was so loving, so trusting...so handsome. She almost didn't deserve him.

"Do you want me to go talk some sense into him?" he offered.

"NO!" Avari exclaimed, finally recollecting her senses by his words. "He won't listen to you. I know he won't..."

"Okay. Whatever you want," Yusuke replied softly. He gently kissed her on the forehead and they resumed their walk home.

-----**---At Genkai's Temple------------**

"Yo, grandma! We're back!" Yusuke practically screamed. His words echoed through the long, spacious halls. As he stepped over the threshold and into the house, he tripped over his own two feet and collided with the hard wood floors.

Avari, who was right behind him, giggled at this. He was such a character, that Yusuke. Always making an entrance. He may have seemed like a tough guy, but the simplest things could slip him up.

"What are you laughing at?" Yusuke asked. He groaned as he sat up on the floor.

"You," she said with a smile.

"I'm that funny, huh? Should I be a clown instead of a Spirit Detective?" he said, rather sarcastically.

"If the bright red nose fits," Avari replied, giggling still. She held out her hand to help him up.

"Oh, we'll see who's laughing in a minute," Yusuke said. Before Avari could realize what he was going to do, he had taken her outstretched hand and pulled her down on top of him.

"I think I like this position," he said with a perverted grin forming across his face.

Avari blushed and lightly punched him. She was practically sprawling out on top of him...and it was quite embarrassing.

"Am I interrupting something?" a voice called.

Both looked up to see Genkai looking down on them, arms crossed and a displeased look on her face. The two flirtatious teens turned beet red and scrambled to their feet.

"Grandma, I think you need to teach your niece to control her hormones," Yusuke said, pointing over at Avari. "I just couldn't keep her off of me."

Avari pouted and folded her arms. Yusuke was trying to make her look like the bad guy, even though she knew Genkai wouldn't buy it for a second. However, she would probably still put them through the humiliation of the sex talk and teen abstinence. She could see it all now...

"I think it's the other way around, dimwit," Genkai said, looking unamused. "If you have nothing important to tell me, then I suggest you go back to training."

"Actually, Aunt Genkai, I wanted to tell you that I know you know," Avari said, regaining composure and putting on a serious face.

"What?" Genkai said, cocking her head to the side in confusion. She was hopelessly clueless to what Avari was referring to.

"I told her that we know what we know that she didn't know we knew," Yusuke said, trying to clarify what they were speaking of. He had failed, miserably.

"What the hell?"

"My Spirit Job!" Avari exclaimed in frustration.

"Oh, that," Genkai said, finally comprehending. "If you want, I'll go kick Koenma's ass. No one hurts me niece..." Her hands turned to fists as she said this and her anger vein popped out of her forehead.

"Whoa, Nelly! You don't have to resort to such drastic measures, Aunt Genkai," Avari said. "No one needs to do that."

Without another word, Genkai walked back down the hall to the training room. The occasional "bastard", "binky sucker" and other more vile curses could be heard escaping her lips.

"I'll be her target to cool down her temper," Yusuke said, with a sigh. "Want to come?"

"Nah," she replied, shrugging. It did sound tempting, to see Yusuke get his ass kicked, but she could see that some other day. "I'll watch next time."

"Then, do you think you'll be up for hanging out later? You can help heal my wounds after I've been reduced to a bloody pulp," Yusuke said, smirking and pulling her into a hug.

"Maybe tomorrow? I'm wiped out," Avari replied, returning the hug. She rested her head on his shoulder. She really did want to be with him, but at the moment, she could really use some time to herself.

"I understand," he responded quietly. After giving her a peck on the lips, he headed toward the training hall to meet his doom.

Avari smiled as she watched him go. She was glad he understood. With that, she went off in the direction of her room.

**----------------In Avari's Room--------------**

Avari shut the door behind her. She leaned against it for a moment, relieved to finally get some alone time. It wasn't that she didn't love spending time with Genkai and Yusuke. In truth, those were the times she was most happy. But, after a day like this, who wouldn't need to recollect themselves?

Still standing against the door, Avari gazed around her room, observing it from her perspective. Just recently, she had changed her room's decor. It went from being a purple haven to being an oasis, a tropical paradise. She had let her creative juices flow and her inner interior designer shine through in the transformation. The once purple walls were now a light teal progressing into a deep aqua at the bottom of the walls. They represented the water as the light peachy carpet acted as the sand. The furniture, meaning the dresser, table, bed frame, bedside table and so on, went from being dark wood to white wicker. The curtains were now a sheer, airy white, matching the bedspread. Island pictures and other odds and ends were on display throughout the room. Sea shells of all shapes and sizes were distributed on the shelves along with stuffed animals of sea life. The theme was even to the extent that Avari had put a mini palm tree in one corner and an orange surfboard in the other. A hammock was even hanging in another corner, which was where Avari walked over and flopped down in.

What a day this had been... She desperately needed something to relax her senses, to clear her mind. But, what... She had just the thing!

Going over to her whitewashed, wicker bedside table, Avari pulled out a fat, lavender candle. This wasn't just any ordinary candle; it had been given to her by her mother only days before she had died. This made it even more special. The words her mother had spoken to her were still clear as day.

_"Whenever you need alleviation and soothing, light this candle,"_ she had said.

Right now, Avari needed both of those things, and a whole lot more. However, this was the best she could do for herself at the moment.

Placing the candle on a little plate to collect the dripping wax, she lit it and put it atop the bedside table. She lay back down in the hammock, resting her head on a puffy, teal pillow.

In only a few moments, the air was permeated with the candle's scent of lavender. It reminded Avari of her mother even more. That was how she had always smelled.

When Avari was little, she would run to her mother with all of her problems, questions and concerns. Mrs. Raji would take her in her arms and comfort her. Avari would dig her tiny face into her mother's bosom, as most little, worried children do. The smell of lavender, that lovely, healing lavender would engulf her senses. It was that scent that instantaneously relaxed her, gave her a new confidence.

_Ah, those were the good old days..._ When Avari's parents were still alive. The only problems she had were losing her favorite jump rope or scrapping her knee. As you got older, life grew more complex and more pressure was thrown on you. If only the innocence of youth could have lasted longer...

Avari breathed in the perfume again and closed her eyes. She could almost see her mother's face. Long, chestnut brown hair, a white smile, those purple eyes and two arms that were always wide open, waiting to hold her...

With this one last, comforting thought and the slight rocking of the hammock, Avari lulled into a deep, comforting sleep. The poor girl needed it after such a long, life-changing and exhausting day. The unfortunate thing was that it was only going to get worse...

**---To Be Continued---**

**-A/n-** And that's another chapter. And it only took me about 8 or 9 months to write it! However, I am proud to say that I already have the next one on paper! I just need to type it up. But, what other horrific things does Yamiko have in store for Avari before he makes his final swoop? Find out next time in** The Power Locked Within!**

---Don't forget that reviews are always appreciated. :3


	15. A Change of Heart

**A/n-** They need to form a support group for procrastinators... I would be like- "Hello. My name is Christy and I am a procrastinator..." So, fair warning, when I say I'll "update soon," it's more like "I'll update in the next 2 to 6 months." Anyway, just read and review please! Thanks to those who do so!

**Chapter 15: A Change of Heart**

The brainy brunette slammed her locker shut. Just as she was about to walk down the deserted hallway, something caught her eye. There, to her right, stood an unmistakable figure leaning against the lockers. It was her old heartthrob. It was none other than Yusuke Urameshi.

"Hey, Keiko," he said coolly and casually, folding his arms across his chest.

"Hello, Yusuke," Keiko said, snottily. She kept her head held high, but her eyes focusing down at the floor. Why the hell was he talking to her? They hadn't been on the best of terms, and still weren't, since he had started dating What's-Her-Face. In other words, that girl, Avari. That had been six months ago, too.

"How's everything been?" he said, trying to make small talk. "Still Numero Uno in the class?"

"Cut the crap, Yusuke!" Keiko yelled in frustration. She knew he wasn't here to chit-chat. He wanted something; he always did. Probably needed to cheat off of her homework or something. "What's your dilemma and how should I fix it?"

"To be perfectly honest, I'm here to get you back," Yusuke confessed.

Had he really just said those words? Or was she dreaming? She had imagined this happening in a million different scenarios, but that had only been in her dreams. She had also been highly doubtful that it would ever happen...

Keiko slightly pinched her arm and felt a pang of pain in her arm. Yep, she was awake alright. Maybe this was his idea of a sick joke. He was just toying with her to cause her even more pain. There was only one way to find out if he really meant these words... Should she dare to look him in the face?

She turned her gaze from the floor to his face, half expecting to see an ugly smirk. Instead, she saw a straight and serious face staring back at her. His cocoa-colored eyes seemed to show traces of regret and depression. This really hit her as a surprise.

All she could do was stand there, baffled. The wall of hostility for him crumbled inside of her. It had been put up when he had torn her heart in two. She realized how deeply in love with him she still was. But, she had thought he hadn't felt the same. Didn't he love Avari now? Wait... Was he going to use her?

She felt a bit more of her heart break at this realization. It was soon followed by a sense of rage. _'That bastard...'_

"Did Avari break up with you?" she began to shout. "Because if you think you can just waltz up and get me to agree to help win her back, you're out of your mind!"

She was not his toy tobe used and thrown around! She had feelings, too! And before, he had crushed those feelings.

"Woah, settle down, Keiko," Yusuke said, holding up in hands. He walked closer to her. "I'm serious about this."

"Care to elaborate?" Keiko's interest was peaked. She really wanted to know what lame excuse he would come up with.

"Here's how it is," he began, letting out a sigh. "Avari's been a bit... odd lately. She has a lot on her plate right now, but I feel like she doesn't care about me anymore. It just really got me thinking about things..."

"Things? What kind of things?" Keiko pressed. What point was he trying to get across? She was curious to know.

"I realized how much I miss you and how strong my feelings for you still are... I didn't even remember exactly why we split."

"Neither do I," Keiko said, thoughtfully. Why _had _they broke up? Things had been going great... Then, suddenly, Yusuke had just wanted out.

"So, that's why I'm here, begging you to come back to me," Yusuke said, looking deep into Keiko's hazelnut eyes. He began to move dangerously close to her face, never moving his gaze from her. "I'm still madly in love with you, Keiko Yukimura."

Before either of them knew it, they were in lip lock. Keiko dropped her stack of books on the tiled floor, narrowly missing her feet. She let her free hands slide up Yusuke's arms and rest on the back of his neck. In response, his arms snaked around her slim waist. There they stood; in some other, nonexistent world where nothing could go wrong.

It only took them a whole _five_ minutes to come back to reality and realize what they were doing. Hastily, Keiko pushed Yusuke away from her, breaking their kiss and his hold on her. Yusuke looked at her, stunned and confused. She simply looked down at the floor, breathing hard and taking it all in.

What was she doing? Yes, she was still madly in love with him... and he had confessed the same thing. But, how could she trust him again? He had broken her heart before. He could very well do it again. That kiss though... How she had missed those! It had been so full of passion, on both ends. He had to be serious about this...

She looked back up at Yusuke now. He looked hurt.

"Keiko..." he began.

Finally, making up her mind, Keiko spoke and stopped him from saying anything more.

"You have to break up with her first," Keiko stated firmly.

Yusuke nodded. He knew what he needed to do, but it only sounded easy. The actual doing would leave a broken heart and potentially some arguing.

--------------------------------------

The school bell rang, signifying the end of another school day and freedom to the students. As her classmates scrambled out the door, Avari lagged behind. She took her good old time collecting her books and slowly made her way towards the door. She almost made it out, but her teacher stopped her.

"Ms. Raji," her history teacher, Mrs. Mitsubashi called out. Avari turned around and went over to the teacher's desk.

"Yes?"

"Is everything going okay? You've seemed a bit distracted these past few weeks. Not only that, but your grades have been slipping like a car sliding on black ice. That's never happened before," the young teacher said, concerned.

All this was true. Avari hadn't been herself lately. A few weeks ago, four days after she had been attacked, Riley had some more weird symptoms to the poison. She was now in a coma and walking the tightrope between life and death. Along with all of the other stress of life, this had made Avari go into a sort of funk. Her school work and even her relationship with Yusuke were having problems. They were arguing more and he had even had the nerve to accuse her of not caring about him anymore. That had hurt. To top it all off, Genkai was off on a 6-day-long Tournament of the Masters, leaving Avari more alone than ever.

"I just have a lot on my mind right now. Things are changing a lot," Avari replied. She would have lied and said everything was fine to any other teacher, but she felt she could trust Mrs. Mitsubashi. She was one of those young, fresh-out-of-college teachers who could really connect with the students. She understood the troubles of youth better than Avari's 65-year-old, balding math teacher, Mr. Sesaki. Why would a perverted sleezeball like him, who hit on well-endowed, teenage girls, understand what she was going through?

"Well, if you ever need help with schoolwork or someone to give you advice, I'm here," Mrs. Mitsubashi said, smiling. "And I made up an extra-credit assignment to help bring up your grade." She handed Avari a packet of paper.

"Thank you, Mrs. Mitsubashi," Avari responded, making sure to smile as a reassurance of her happiness. It was nice to know that someone cared. "I'll see you in class Monday."

"Good bye, Avari," she called after Avari as she headed out the door.

Out of the classroom, the deserted hallway felt like a ghost town. Not a soul was to be seen. Avari's footsteps echoed eerily through the long stretch of lockers. All of the students must have cleared out to get a head start on their weekend plans. It was Friday afternoon, of course. Even most of the teachers seemed to have vanished.

Now rounding a corner and coming up to her locker, Avari noticed Yusuke standing next to it. As she came closer, she saw that he didn't look to happy; a stern, yet despondent look was on his face. It was probably from the fact that she had been neglecting, avoiding, ignoring and anything along the lines of those words, him lately. It had really put a damper in their relationship, or what little of one they had at the moment.

The guilt of her ill treatment to him was now getting to her. Boy, did she have a lot to say to him! She owed him a serious apology, a big explanation and about a million hugs and kisses. She really cared about him and knew he really did not deserve to be treated that way. It was time that she restored the peace and made things go back to the way they were. It was what she wanted, and probably what he wanted, too.

"Hi."

"Hi," Yusuke's voice echoed.

Avari couldn't help, but notice how nervous he looked. He kept switching his gaze from her, back down to the floor. Back and forth, back and forth. Not to mention, that he was wringing out his hands. What could cause him to be this preoccupied?

"Are you okay? You look really fidgety," she said, eyeing his now shuffling feet.

"Uh, we need to talk." For a quick second he looked at her, but quickly switched his attention back to the exceedingly interesting floor tiles.

"I concur to the tenth degree times Emc2. I'm sorry for how I've been treating you, but I want to make things right..." she started, but Yusuke cut her off.

"You're making this really difficult."

"What?" She didn't get it.

"I think we should break up," he blurted out.

This hit Avari hard, like a wrecking ball hitting a house. She stood there, dumbfounded by his words. All she could do was stare at him. Had he heard him right? Or

was she just hallucinating? Daydreaming?

"I'm sorry. Could you repeat that?" She wanted to be sure of what he was saying.

"I think we should break up," he reiterated.

Yup, her worst nightmare had been fulfilled.

"Woah! I knew we were having issues, but I didn't know we had to resort to such drastic measures..." she responded, still completely flabbergasted by the situation.

"It's not really that..." he began.

"Then, what is it?

"I still have feelings for Keiko," he confessed.

Ouch, that was a big pang in the heart.

"You're just telling me this now!" she cried in disbelief. Had he ever truly cared for her? It sure had felt like he had... He had even promised to protect her. Did she mean anything to him at all? Pain filled her heart even more.

Guilt overwhelmed Yusuke from her outburst. He knew he was hurting her big time. This wasn't going as smoothly as he had anticipated, or hoped.

"I know that I really sound like a bastard, but we're young. We experiment with things. It's good for us to date other people," he said, trying to make a point. "Besides, it's not totally over... We can still be friends."

"The classic line..." Avari mumbled. After that, all she could do was bore her gaze into Yusuke. He was just going to give up...just like that! With a snap of the fingers! In the blink of an eye!

"Don't you still want to be friends?" A perplexed Yusuke stared at Avari.

"Just leave me alone!" Avari shouted and then took off down the hallway.

Desperately, Yusuke tried to go after her, but she was a fast one. He would never catch up to her.

----------------------------------

Avari ran as fast as her legs would carry her- past the school gates, roaming people, bustling stores, delicious-smelling roadside stands, sleeping hobos. It all went by in one big blur. Life was too much right now, too much to handle. She just needed to get away...

It wasn't until she reached the town's park that she eased into a walk. Aimlessly, she wandered down the brick path. Her surroundings were positively gorgeous that day- radiant sunshine, blossoming flowers, lush trees and greens. However, she did not bother to stop in awe of nature's splendor, as usual. Physically, she was there, but mentally, Avari was millions of miles away.

Avari felt puzzled. Had the sheer shock of Yusuke's words still not worn off? It was partly that, but it was just... How was she supposed to react to something like this? No boy had ever broken her heart this bad. Yes, she had had her share of boyfriends, but none of them had ever meant this much to her. Should she be furious at Yusuke? Or should she cry her eyes out like a sous chef chopping onions? Was there a happy medium between the two?

All Avari knew was that she was not going to cry. No matter what, no tears would fall. She had done too much crying lately with all of her added stress weighing her down. Were there even any tears left to cry?

She plopped down on an empty bench underneath a blooming dogwood tree. Eyes closed and body relaxed, Avari let everything soak in. She was a porous sponge. She would let everything in and see what would come out. Oh, the possibilities- Anger, sorrow or peace?

It took a while, but suddenly, it hit her, like a dart hits a target. The unfortunate thing was that it collided with a tender spot, her heart. It felt like someone had torn her heart out, diced it with a machete and made it into sushi. That someone had been Yusuke.

_'I'm not going to cry...I am NOT going to cry...' _she continually told herself.

Despite all of her pleading, her eyes filled with water. _'Hold it back...' _The waters continued to rise. '_You're stronger than this...'_ It was no use! The dams broke. Hot, steamy tears began to flow down her flushed cheeks. They fell so hard that even Hurricane Katrina would envy the amount of 'rainfall'.

_'No guy should be worth this much emotion...' _she told herself. Then again, this was Yusuke. Her strong, masculine, yet caring and cuddly Yusuke. He was like a crab- tough on the outside, but soft on the inside, once you cracked the shell. The thoughts of him should have helped to soothe her, but they only made the tears rain harder.

For what seemed like an eternity, Avari sat on the bench, hugging her knees to her chest and wallowing in her misery. Everything that they had been through replayed over and over in her mind like a video tape. Their first kiss, their first date, their numerous sparring matches (which she had won), cuddling under the stars, his soft words, his caressing touch, his smile that seemed to freeze time... Oh, how he had captivated her body, mind and soul! And her heart, of course. How could such a deep relationship been washed away, broken into pieces by six little words? _'I think we should break up..._'

At that moment, in the dogwood tree, a mother bird returned to its babies with a scrumptious worm. They proceeded to chirp with joy. Avari lifted her head to glare at them. She felt the sudden urge to climb up the tree and staple their beaks shut. Then again, a vegetarian, animal protection activist might walk by and call the ASPCA (It's an animal protection agency) on her. That meant getting in trouble with the law... But, those damn birds! She felt they were gloating and bragging about how carefree and happy they were. Their happiness was an utter annoyance to her heartache.

Driven by aggravation and envy, Avari jumped up from the bench and proceeded to shout her lungs.

**"SHUT UP!"**

Horror struck by the abrupt interruption, the birds ceased their singing. With that done, Avari felt a bit better. It had helped to relieve some of her frustration. She had forgotten how much fun shouting was.

Realizing how little light was left in the sky, Avari decided it was time to go home and walked off in the direction of Genkai's temple.

**---To be Continued---**

-A/n- WAHOO! I finally updated again! Drinks all around! It took me about 3 or 4 months, but it's there. I will truly try to finish up this series this summer. I have an outline saying that this will only be another 4 chapters long, so it's getting there! I just hope I still have some readers! Well, tune in next time to see what other surprising events will take place in **The Power Locked Within**!

Reviews are always appreciated! XD


	16. Life Goes On

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own YYH or Pop Tarts or anything, for that matter. I do own some lint and maybe a candy wrapper...**

**A/n**- **Finally got around to typing up this chapter. I won't bore you with some lame excuse... Point is, it's done! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 16: Life Goes On**

Genkai stood back to admire her creations. She had just successfully made miso soup, rice and tea for a traditional Japanese breakfast. There it lay, spread out on the wooden table in all its splendor.

Normally, Genkai would never make such a variety of food or put that much effort into breakfast. She would just turn on the coffee pot, throw a few Pop Tarts in the toaster and say, "Bon appétit." However, considering the past few weeks' events, she wanted to do something nice for her grandniece. Some good, hearty food might cheer her up a little.

"Avi-chan! Breakfast!" Genkai called down the lengthy hallway. She expected to hear footsteps or the sound of a door opening, but nothing came. There was only silence.

"Where is that child...?" she murmured to herself. Perhaps, Avari was sleeping in late, but it was past 11 o'clock. Even though it was Saturday morning, she always woke up before 10 A.M. Something had to be wrong...

But, what could it have been? Something must have happened while she had been away at the Tournament of the Masters, which she had gotten back from only last night. She hadn't seen Avari since she had come home...

Genkai wandered over to Avari's bedroom door and lightly tapped on it.

"Avari?" She slowly opened the door, puzzled at the image before her.

There, in bed, lay her grandniece. She was surrounded by a sea of tissues and wrappers from chocolate bars. The room was dim, so Genkai didn't notice how puffy and red Avari's face and eyes were. On the television, which Avari had given her undivided attention, was an old, black-and-white film.

_'Oh, Lucille...'_ said the man on the screen, taking his lover's delicate hands in his._ 'I will always love you...'_

"YOU LIAR!" Avari exclaimed angrily, throwing a hunk of chocolate at the television. She had obviously not seen Genkai yet...

"Avi-chan!" Genkai said loudly, storming into the room. She turned on the light and flicked the television off. "What has gotten into you?"

Avari burst into tears at that moment. Genkai rushed over to the edge of her bed and took a seat on its edge. She handed her grandniece another tissue, who took it willingly and blew her nose disgustingly into it.

"What's wrong?" Genkai asked, more demanding this time. Avari decided she needed to answer before she was kicked out of her bed for disobeying.

"It's Yu..._hiccup_...-suke," she began, still sniffling and crying.

"What did the dimwit do now?"

"He br-broke up..._sniff_...with m-me," Avari finally let out, bursting into tears again.

"So?" Genkai said, like it was no big deal. "Then, why are you moping around?"

"I have every right to!" Avari argued. Her heart had been broken and she deserved some time to wallow. That was how you got over these things... Right?

"No, you don't! He's just a boy!" Genkai yelled.

"No, he's not! He's Yusuke! He's special!" Avari yelled back. She was so riled up that she stood up in front of Genkai.

"Oh, please! You should just get used to getting your heart broken! It's going to happen several times before you meet the right man!" Genkai shouted. "Take it from someone who's lived!"

"B-but, what about first loves being your true love?" Avari asked, lowering her tone.

"This isn't a fairy tale world! I didn't know that you were that naive!" Genkai yelled in response.

Avari didn't have a comeback for this one. Her gaze moved down to the floor. She plopped down on the bed and admitted defeat... She _was_ naive. She had really thought Yusuke was her one, true love. She had pictured them getting married, taking over the dojo, raising a few kids... But, that had all changed in the blink of an eye. Genkai was right. This was life; this was reality.

Genkai knew that their argument was over. Enough yelling had been done and it wasn't helping the situation. Only kind words would fix this rough patch. She sat down next to Avari and put her arm around her.

"Life goes on after breakups, Avi-chan," she said, quietly. She let Avari's head rest on her shoulder. "There are plenty of other fish in the..."

"**Don't** finish that phrase," Avari interrupted. "That line is too cheesy."

"Well, I'm your cheesy, old aunt and I can say what I want," Genkai protested. Avari had to smile at this. Genkai was so corny sometimes... Old fogies usually were.

"You were raised to be stronger than this," Genkai continued. "So, I want you to shower, get dressed and seize the day, capisce?" She looked Avari sternly in the eye.

"Capisce," Avari agreed, with a meek smile.

With that said and done, Genkai left the room, leaving Avari to her things.

-----------------------------------------

Avari emerged from the bathroom into her room. She wore a bathrobe and a towel on her head. That shower had really helped to clear her thoughts and to cleanse her of the pain. Already, she felt about 15 percent better than she had before. She knew it would take time to completely get over Yusuke, but Genkai was right. She needed to seize the day and not admit defeat in this matter. Moving on with her life was the best thing she could do for herself.

She walked over to her open closet, contemplating what clothes would suit her mood best. Gray hoodie? No, that was too sad of a color. Yellow sweater? She didn't feel that sun-shiny just yet! It had to be just the right color; not too bright, but not too depressing...

_Clink, clank. _Avari turned toward the sound. Something had just hit her window. Was it that stupid squirrel that threw nuts at her window again? Or was it Genkai out in the garden, asking her to get something from inside the temple? She walked over to the window and pulled up the blinds.

She did a double take at what she saw.

There stood Yusuke, meekly waving and giving a cheesy, unsure grin.

"What do you want?" Avari said loudly, to make sure he heard through the glass.

"Are you trying to take up fortunetelling?" he asked, noticing the towel wrapped around her head.

"If you came here to make fun of me, I'm ignoring you," Avari warned. She was about to lower the blinds and shut him out. What could he possibly be here for? He didn't have training with Genkai until the next day, when she would conveniently go to the library to avoid him. And if he was going to try and get back with her, he had to be kidding himself. There was no way she would forgive him that easily!

"Wait, wait! I came to talk!" Yusuke said hastily. "Open the window."

Curious to hear what the dimwit had to say, Avari opened the window, just had he had asked her to.

"Shoot," Avari said, commanding him to spill the beans. She leaned on the window sill, awaiting his response.

"Uh... I came here to patch things up a bit. Things didn't go like I had wanted them to yesterday..." Yusuke began.

"And?"

"And I _really_ do want us to still be friends," he finished.

"You know, Yusuke. That's a good idea," Avari said, nodding her head to emphasize how she agreed. "In fact, I have a present for you. Wait right there." She walked out of her room and came back a few moments later.

Yusuke came closer to the window to see what the present was. Was it one of those corny "Best Friends" key chains? Or maybe it was some home baked chocolate chip cookies? Or the new Megallica CD?

He saw that a large bowl was in Avari's hands. Bingo! It was those amazing chocolate chip cookies she made for him all the time! Maybe this whole just friends things was going to be better than he had thought...

"Here you go!" Avari said, cheerfully. She smiled and held out the bowl to Yusuke, who held out his hands to receive it through the open window. Although, instead of putting it in his hands, Avari thrust the bowl into Yusuke's face.

The bowl fell onto the dirty ground with a light _thud!_

Yusuke blinked in surprise. He was covered in miso soup. He wiped minced garlic and ginger pieces from his eyes and pulled a carrot out that had been lodged in his nose.

"Did you _really _think I would forgive you that easily?" Avari asked, but it was meant more as a rhetorical question. "Well, I hope you enjoy your soup. Have a nice day, best friend!"

Before Yusuke could respond or even comprehend what had just happened, she gave him an evil smile and slammed her window shut. From the sudden movement, he winced. She then pulled down the blind, meaning she didn't want to associate with him any more.

Inside her room, Avari smiled proudly in her mirror. She was positively gloating. Never would she have had the guts to do that to a guy before. But now, she felt like she had come out of her shell.

Proudly and happily, she had enough inspiration to finally decide on an outfit. She donned on a pale pink polo shirt and a pair of comfortable, dark blue jeans. To her, pink was a happy color. It was how she felt when she was happy or giddy. Therefore, it suited her mood decorously.

**---------3 P.M.----------**

Avari let out a long sigh. She was bored.

Genkai had gone out grocery shopping, but had asked her to come along. Any kind of shopping was not good for Genkai and Avari to do together. It always ended in some big argument over a sale or what was better than what. So, it had been best for her to stay home. It didn't help that her best friend was half-dead in a hospital bed and Yusuke was out of the picture.

This left her alone on a Saturday afternoon with nothing to do at all. There she sat, on the temple stairs, watching nature's flow. She had watched a bee go from one flower to the other for the past fifteen minutes. How pathetic was that?

Yes, she had homework and training she could be doing. But, when you're at such an intense level of boredom, you lack the motivation for these kinds of things. You just want to lounge around, doing nothing. You just want waste time because it feels like there is no time... like it stopped. And you're just waiting for something to happen. You're in this purgatory between the minutes and time's just hanging there... It's quite peaceful actually.

A moderately strong breeze began to pick up. Out of the corner of her eye, Avari saw a piece of paper being carried by it. Obviously someone had been extremely inconsiderate to the environment and had littered. Just go ahead and add to the pollution and grime that you see everywhere! Actually, the paper would disintegrate, but that was still littering!

The paper began to blow more and more in her direction. Perhaps it wanted her to grab it and put it where it belonged, a recycling bin.

Another gust blew and the paper flew right into Avari's face.

Was this Karma's way of getting back at her for miso-souping Yusuke? What goes around, comes around... That was the ancient philosophy. This was a rather pathetic way of getting back at her though. And Yusuke had deserved it! He had broken her heart, after all. The miso-souping had been Karma getting back at him.

She grabbed the paper off of her face. She lazily glanced at it, expecting it to be some stupid flyer for a fundraiser or an advertisement for a cleaning service. To her surprise, it was actually a note; a note addressed to her.

_Avari,_

_Go to the Mighty Oak at 11 o'clock one night before the Full Moon. Bring the locket to secure the life of your family. _

She gaped at the signature of the letter's author. Under the message in bright, blood-red ink was the name of her half-brother.

_Yamiko._

When he said her family, he had to have meant Genkai. She was the only living relative Avari had, aside from Yamiko himself. She hardly considered him family though... And there was no way she was going to let him take Genkai's life!

She knew it was the wrong thing to do, but she was getting tired of Yamiko bothering her! Avari was going to give him the locket. Even if the family heirloom would be in the wrong hands, at least Genkai would be safe. She knew Yamiko would want nothing more with her once he had the locket. He may have been a manipulative, cold-blooded, ruthless bastard, but he wasn't one to do pointless tormenting.

And hopefully unleashing the power of the locket would be impossible for him! Or maybe she should notify Koenma... or maybe Genkai could do that... and get him to send in some Spirit World employees to take Yamiko down. That would be the best way to do it.

_The Mighty Oak..._ He had to mean the famous, 300-hundred-year-old tree in the town's park. But, when was the full moon? Couldn't he have been more specific! He could have easily put the date!

Avari ran into the temple, all the way into the kitchen. Posted on the refrigerator was a calendar with the new and full moons posted on it. According to it, the next full moon was...tomorrow night? That soon! That meant that Avari would have to go meet Yamiko tonight! _...one night before the Full Moon... _

He could have given her some more warning! Although, he _was _a very spur-of-the-moment type of person. That was one of the few things she remembered about him. At least, she could just get it over and done with so that she could move on with her life.

And what was so special about the night before the full moon anyway? Yamiko has probably written it to try and confuse Avari... So that she would come on the wrong night. Then, he would have every reason to hurt Genkai. That bag of douche... She wasn't so easily fooled!

**--------10 P.M.---------**

It was now 10 P.M. Time to prepare. Avari rummaged around in her closet. She knew it was in there somewhere... under the piles of dirty laundry, shoes, papers and other things. Obviously, she was not someone who cared for a clean room. The piles of junk she had laying everywhere would cause any person with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, to have a seizure.

Aha! There it was! It was her midnight blue, skin-tight jumpsuit. She hadn't used it since her mission to Starlight Cave with Yusuke. It felt like an eternity had gone by since then... Life was really flying by.

Avari slipped into the suit with ease and zipped up the front. It felt strange to be wearing the suit again, but it also felt good. She felt like she was working for Koenma again as a spy. It brought back all of the memories of her past missions... When she had met Riley and helped make her a Spirit Guide, when Yusuke had turned into a ferret on their mission to Starlight Cave... Those had been the good old days.

She grabbed her old lightweight boots, after digging through the masses of stuff in her closet again. While lacing them up, she smiled. It really _was _a pleasure to be getting back into her old gear. Spy work had truly been the passion in her life. Maybe someday she could convince Koenma to trust her again, after she had the weight of the locket off of her shoulders.

She walked over to her full-length mirror. She pulled her silver hair into a ponytail and tied a dark-blue bandana over it, to hide her hair. It was such a glossy, glistening silver that the moonlight would reflect off of it and give her presence away. Looking at her reflection, she looked so right in her entire spy attire... It was who she really was. Even if Koenma didn't want to hire her back, maybe she could work for the FBI or the CIA. She had enough experience! And the job would be a blast!

Looking over at her alarm clock, it read the time 10:16 P.M. She needed to hurry up and get going! It would take at least 30 minutes to walk to the Mighty Oak. And she wanted to have a few spare minutes to wait for Yamiko, or whatever minion he decided to send this time.

Hastily, she grabbed a small, black backpack. She shoved a pair of nunchakus, a pocket knife, a compass, a flashlight, freeze-dry food, a space blanket, her cell phone and a water bottle into the bag. Even though this was supposed to be a harmless meeting of Yamiko and Avari finally coming to terms over a long-going dispute, one could not be too prepared. As a spy, you were taught to always bring the basics. You never knew what could happen. Better safe than sorry.

Gracefully and cat-life, Avari slide out of her open bedroom window. She walked across the courtyard of the temple almost noiselessly. With her dark-colored clothes, she blended right into the dark backdrop of the night. No one, unless they had extremely keen eyesight, would be able to see the slightest bit of her.

**------The Mighty Oak. 10:48 P.M.------**

Avari came to a dead stop under the Mighty Oak. It was in a very open part of the park, since it was on the main pathway. Therefore, she decided to hide behind the 10-foot-thick tree. Only a few more minutes until all of her troubles would be over. Yamiko would get what he wanted, the locket. And Avari would get what she wanted, peace.

She slumped down against the tree trunk and allowed herself to sit down on the ground. Hopefully, he would get here soon. Her warm, comfortable bed was calling, beckoning for her to go home to it and let sleep take over. She yawned lightly. It had been a long day... Eventful, but also boring. It was weird how being bored and sitting around all day could make you so tired.

Avari glimpsed at her watch that was strapped to her wrist. It glowed in the dark. In blue numbers, it read 10: 57 P.M. Any minute now... She would be free to live a more normal life. No more demons attacking her, no more threats to her friends and family; just peace.

She heard a twig snap behind her. She shot right up and crept around the tree. Apparently, Yamiko had been too lazy, yet again, to come and see her himself. He had sent one of his minions to come and claim the locket. Although, this demon was obviously of very high rank. Her half-brother wouldn't trust just anyone to retrieve and deliver a source of great power.

This demon looked almost human, except he had feathery, dark-blue wings sticking out of his back. His skin wasn't scaly like the other demons; it looked like normal human skin, but with a hint of green to it. Also, his hair was a rather abnormal color; a light teal. His eyes are also teal, but a much deeper teal than his hair. He was dressed in a dark-blue cloak with teal edging. On his neck, she saw the red X that all of Yamiko's faithful minions bore. The demon stared at Avari, as she did the same.

"Do you have it?" the demon said, in a deep, almost poisonous voice.

Without saying a word, Avari kept her gaze intently on the demon. She quickly unclasped the locket from her neck and handed it over to the demon.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the teal demon said, surveying the locket to make sure it wasn't a fraud. It looked to be the real thing. It even gave off the faintest glow of violet, as powerful gems often did.

Avari turned around to head back home. Their deal was done. Yamiko had what he wanted and now he could leave Avari alone to have what she had wanted. She couldn't help but noticing how empty and naked her neck felt without the locket clasped around it. She had worn it for so long without removing it. Perhaps the next day she would go out and buy a new locket, just to make her feel more comfortable.

"Wait," she heard the demon call after her. What did he want now? A good fight? She was in no mood for that at the moment. She just wanted to go home and sleep!

Before Avari could turn around, she felt a cold hand grab at the back of her neck. Chills raced down her spine. She went to yank his hand off of the back of her neck and teach him a lesson, but she didn't have time to. The hand's grip tightened and Avari felt a weird sensation run through her body. She felt... numb.

Then, everything went black.

**-To be Continued!-**

**A/n- How was that? You tell me! Please review! And tune in next time to The Power Locked Within to learn what has happened to Avari! Only 3 more chapters left guys! Review, Review, Review! That's what the SUBMIT button is for! Infinite thanks to those who do!**


	17. Keep Your Promises

**A/n-Yes, only 2 more chapters to go! I can't wait to get this series done! It's not that I didn't have fun writing it, it's just that it's been a huge weight on my shoulders.**

**Chapter 17: Keep Your Promises**

Avari slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. Groggily, she sat up and stretched. Man, did her back really hurt! She really needed to talk Genkai into getting her a new mattress... Wait! She wasn't in her bed, or even in her bedroom!

She was in a spacious room, lying on a marble slab, which was more of a platform, with stairs on all sides. Shelves and shelves of thick, intellectual books and variously shaped vials of colorful liquids covered the walls. One particularly heavy book sat on a stone pedestal. The suits of armor and weaponry of noble knights on display added to the room's grandeur. However, the main focal point of the room was the glass ceiling, that allowed warm sunlight to pour onto the glossy, marble floors.

Perhaps, she was in a genius's study? Was she a specimen he or she wished to study? But, then again, what genius would display weapons? Maybe one who was obsessed with knives! That was creepy... Just the way the sunlight reflected off of the daggers, swords and spears hanging on the walls gave her the heebie jeebies.

At that moment, the giant, oak double doors behind Avari opened. She almost jumped out of her skin at the sudden noise. She tried desperately to move around to see who it was, but now, she realized something was holding her back.

A ball and chain was attached to each of her ankles and wrists. Was she some kind of criminal? I don't think so. She had only spent years of her life helping Spirit World to maintain it's security! Still, she felt like a prisoner...

"Long time, no see, sister dear!" a voice called from behind her. It was the person who had come into the room, obviously.

With great struggle, Avari was able to maneuver herself around to face the person. Her jaw dropped at who she saw.

It was Yamiko, in the flesh. Silver hair and penetrating blue eyes. He had that same smug, evil look on his face that fit his personality so well.

In response to him, Avari simply glared.

"Oh my! Did someone wake up on the wrong side of the bed... er, stone slab this morning? Or is it that time of the month?" Yamiko said, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Where the hell am I?" Avari insisted, ignoring his jokes.

"You're at _my_ humble...er, phantasmagorical abode in Demon World," he replied snobbishly. He always used big words to rub in how much wealthier and smarter he was than her.

"And... why am I here exactly?" Avari asked.

"I need you for the ceremony."

"Ceremony?" She cocked her head to the side, perplexed.

"For when I 'inherit' the family's power." Yamiko walked a little deeper into the room.

Inherit? More like 'take-over' or 'steal'! It wasn't even his family's power. It was Avari's mother's family's! Since he had a different mother and all, they were only half-siblings. This fact made her much happier, however. She didn't want to be related to a twat like him!

"And, why do you need me for this?" Avari questioned. Could he just give her all of the freaking details at once? They weren't playing "20 Questions!"

"I need the blood of a virgin," he replied as he began to pace the width of the room. His dark blue cape swished along behind him as he moved. A silver tunic, dark blue pants and knee-high black boots accompanied it perfectly. He looked like a prince from the 15th century. It was definitely the 21st century, dude!

He immediately ceased his continuous gait and turned to Avari, an eyebrow raised.

"You are still a virgin, aren't you?"

A low growl of irritation was his only reply.

"Why do I even bother asking? Of course you are, Ms. Goody-goody-two-shoes."

Avari hadn't been talking to him for more than 2 minute and already, she wanted to wring his neck! He always had to rub everything in! So what if she was a virgin? It was something to be proud of! Yamiko was practically a man whore, she knew for a fact. He just always had to be so mean and poke fun at her!

"Well, I had better go get ready for tomorrow night's ceremony! Ta-ta!" Yamiko said haughtily and turned to walk out of the room. However, he was stopped by the abrupt entrance of someone.

"I just found the perfect kimono for the ceremony!" the person exclaimed, in a very Valley Girl voice.

Avari took a good look at the person. It was either a very ugly woman or a very pretty man. He, or she, wore a lime green, fitted top with green and black pin-stripped pants, completed with a black beret. It complimented his forest green hair and lime green, cat-like eyes. Avari concluded that he was a very pretty, very gay man.

"Kas-" Yamiko began, but was cut off by the man's cheerful rambling.

"Oh, it's the perfect color!" the man exclaimed, then letting a squeal of joy. He walked over and held the teal kimono up to Avari's face. "It contrasts so well with your stunning eyes, darling! I am a fashion genius!" He practically sang these words in his high-pitched voice.

"Kashi!" Yamiko exclaimed, desperately trying to catch the man's attention. Avari assumed that Kashi was the man's name.

"You never told me she had different colored eyes than you!" Kashi continued. "Luckily, teal is so her color, or else I would have had a nervous breakdown!"

"Kashi! Shouldn't you be helping Rem with preparations for the ceremony?" Yamiko asked.

"Oh, I am, sweets. I'm working on the wardrobe. Everyone must look their best! I have the perfect outfit for you, too. No need to worry," Kashi replied, flicking his wrist as if to wave away all of Yamiko's worries.

"Kashi! There you are!" a new, very deep voice called out.

In walked the demon who Avari had given the locket to. She knew that voice had sounded familiar.

"Oh, I was coming right back, Rem honey. You're all a bunch of worry warts," Kashi said, flicking his wrist yet again.

"Everyone out of the observatory!" Yamiko exclaimed in frustration. "I was having a chat with my sister until you dolts came in!"

"Oh, so sorry to interrupt the family reunion, my dears. We'll leave you two alone," Kashi said, apologetically. He took the other demon by the hand, who Avari assumed was Rem, and exited the room.

"Very interesting friends you have," Avari commented, once Rem and Kashi were gone. She was on the verge of bursting out laughing. Her brother had a personal fashion designer! This was priceless! "Or is Kashi more than a friend?"

"You'll be sorry you ever made that crack, sister dear!" Yamiko warned, slightly blushing. "I'll see you tomorrow evening, when I get the power to take over the world! Muhahahaaa!"

"You really need to work on the evil laugh. It's lacking," Avari criticized.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed and walked out of the room. The grand doors slammed behind him.

Finally, some privacy and silence. Avari lay back down on the marble slab, allowing her thoughts to run wild.

That had been very interesting encounter with her brother, or rather _half-_brother. She hadn't seen him in years... Yet, he was still the same snobbish, conceited, twisted, cruel villain he had always been.

When they had been growing up, he would always push her around and make fun of her. It had hurt for so long, knowing that her own brother didn't love her. But, she had outgrown those feelings years ago. Once he had left the family, she knew he was good for nothing. She had then grown to hate him and still did to this day.

And now... He was going to get what he wanted. He was going to kill her, just like he had killed her parents, and gain the family's power in one night. He had never come right out and told her that he had been behind her parent's death but, she knew. The demons had bore his clan's trademark red X. And who else had such a grudge against them? Only him.

Anger boiled in her veins. If only she could get out of these chains! She would teach him a very valuable lesson! Never mess with Avari Raji! She gathered her Spirit energy in her fists and feet, to try and break the chains.

Yet, nothing happened. It didn't work. Yamiko was smarter than that anyway. These were probably special chains, invincible and impenetrable.

Feeling even more angry and frustrated, she banged her fists on the marble beneath her. She had let Yamiko trap her here! She felt so gullible. He wasn't one to want a truly fair bargain. Of course, he was going to have her captured after he had the locket!

There was nothing she could do though... Her spirit energy wasn't helping her and no one knew where she was. She would never be rescued. She would just have to admit defeat and let Yamiko kill her... Maybe it was better this way. Maybe he would just leave Genkai alone.

Utterly defeated and exhausted, Avari lay back down on the marble platform and let sleep take over. Maybe things would go her way in her dreams...

-------------------------------------------

"She dumped a _whole _bowl of miso soup on my head, grandma!" Yusuke exclaimed. His voice echoed throughout the open training hall.

"She did, huh?" Genkai said, rather thoughtfully, her thumb and index finger rubbing her chin. "Then, I have taught her well." Yusuke did an anime fall.

"What are you saying? You should ground her for a month!" Yusuke cried out, his arms waving wildly in the air.

"You deserve it, dimwit! I only wish I had been the one who had done it!" Genkai yelled at him. "But still, I would like you two to make up. Follow me."

"Where are we going, old hag?" Yusuke inquired, as Genkai grabbed his wrist roughly and practically dragged him down the lengthy hallway.

Ignoring Yusuke's question, Genkai stopped in front of a door. It answered his question. They were in front of Avari's room.

Genkai knocked on the door once. She expected Avari to instantly open the door but, there was no answer.

She knocked again, a little harder this time... and then a few more times. Still, no answer.

"Oh, no! Not this again!" Genkai yelled. She burst the door open. "Avari! Turn off those idiotic, 1950's films already!"

But, there was not a noise, not a motion, not a light in the room.

"Where are you, Avari?" Yusuke called out, walking into the room behind Genkai. He noticed a piece of paper on the floor and picked it up.

After scanning it for no more than two seconds, he knew what had happened.

"Uh... Genkai. You might want to take a look at this."

Genkai snatched the note from Yusuke's hand and read it.

"We're going to Koenma's," Genkai said.

---------------------------------

The double, cherry wood doors leading into the office burst open. The doors banging against the wall from the impact of Yusuke's thrust. Despite all of the racket, Koenma sat, unfazed at his desk. He was deeply engrossed in his work apparently.

"Hey, binky sucker!" Yusuke called out as he walked into the room, followed closely by Genkai.

"Yusuke, do you have to make such an entrance? I'm trying to do paperwork!" Koenma exclaimed, looking up from his stacks of papers. He sounded extremely stressed and frustrated. He then returned his attention back to putting his seal of approval on the important documents.

"You're worried about paperwork, when Avari's in danger?" Yusuke yelled violently. He walked over to Koenma's desk and pushed the piles of papers out of the way, causing them to scatter all over the ground. "I promised that I would protect her, no matter what!"

"Yusuke! Control yourself!" Genkai barked at him. Honestly, the dimwit didn't need to take out all of his anger on poor Koenma. Although, it was fun to see the baby ruler get angry.

"Ah! What have you done?" Koenma looked like he was on the verge of tears. "Do you know how long it took me to sort out all of those papers? I stayed up all night!" He lay his head down on the table, overwhelmed and crushed.

"Just get that guy with the loin cloth to fix it for you," Yusuke suggested, his temper obviously subsiding.

"That's a good idea," Koenma agreed, looking a lot happier. "Oh, Ogre!"

"Yes, sir?" Blue Ogre asked, as he came rushing into the room.

"Pick up these papers. Now," Koenma commanded, almost heartlessly. He pointed to the mass of papers in disarray all over the carpeted floor.

"But, sir... I'm busy booking the appointments for your diaper rash treatment and footsie pajama fittings..." he objected. He pointed to the cordless phone in his other hand.

"Do that later! Take care of the papers now!" Koenma screamed, interrupting the poor ogre's pleas.

"Footsie pajamas? Diaper rash? Oh man! This is too much!" Yusuke said, trying not to laugh, but failing miserably. He then burst into wild fits of laughter.

"Why were you here again?" Koenma asked, through clenched teeth as an anger vein popped from his forehead. He really had to restrain himself from kicking Yusuke out of the office.

"We're here to find out where Yamiko's lair is located," Genkai answered, her tone very serious. She hit the still-laughing Yusuke on the head with a book. "We need to go there and rescue Avari."

"Alright, I'll get my other ogres on that right now," Koenma said, getting up from his seat and walking over to speak with the other ogres.

"Ouch, grandma! Did you have to whack me so hard?" Yusuke complained, rubbing the bump that had formed on his head.

"Yes! The harder I hit, the more sense it might knock into you!" Genkai barked. She then hit him again, even harder, but in a place where the sun doesn't shine.

Yusuke began to whimper and groan. Clutching the affected area, he rolled on the floor in pain.

"Okay, I have them figuring out the lair's location, but it might take a while," Koenma said to Genkai, after he had come back over from his little conference with his employees. He noticed Yusuke's absurd behavior. He looked like a dog rolling around on its back. "What happened to him?"

"He got what was coming to him," Genkai replied.

"Oh," Koenma said, carelessly. "In the mean time, I think we should call in the other Spirit Detectives and brief them on the situation until we have the location."

"I better still be able to have kids, Genkai! Or else you're paying for the gene therapy!" Yusuke exclaimed irritably.

Both Koenma and Genkai just walked away from him.

-----------------------------

It had been almost two hours since they had arrived in Spirit World. But finally, Koenma's ogres had been able to find out Yamiko's hideout. Yusuke didn't know how they did it, whether it was radar or some other advanced equipment, but it was impressive.

The complete Team Urameshi, plus Genkai, was situated in front of Koenma's nifty television screen. Kuwabara and Kurama sat in cushiony chairs, as Genkai and Yusuke shared a couch. Yusuke was being a baby and had an ice pack on his head and crotch. Hiei, being too cool to sit down, preferred to lean against the wall in the lone, back corner. Koenma sat at his newly cleaned desk, looking quite eager to have the opportunity to use his control buttons.

"Here is Yamiko's lair." Koenma pushed a yellow button and the image of a castle appeared on the screen. It looked like one of those medieval castles, yet well-kept and clean. The gray stone walls weren't crumbling and it even had a mote. "It's located in Demon World and is guarded by his lesser minions. So, it should be easy to break in."

"If it's so easy to break in, then why do we all have to go? Why can't Yusuke just go?" Kuwabara complained. "I'm missing the Kitty Marathon on Animal Planet!"

"There will be plenty of other cat specials! We need all the help we can get to save Avari!" Yusuke yelled, sounding quite protective and manly.

"Why the sudden want to rescue her, Yusuke?" Kurama inquired, curiously. "I thought you two had broken up."

"She's still my friend... So, why shouldn't I want to help her?" Yusuke defended, turning slightly pink.

"He made a promise to her," Genkai piped in.

"Aw... And what was that?" Kuwabara asked, in a baby voice. "That you would always be her knight in shining armor?"

"Face it," Koenma said, walking over to the blushing Yusuke. "You still love her." He pulled on Yusuke's cheek jokingly.

The whole gang began to laugh. Even Hiei smirked.

"Everybody, shut up!" Yusuke screamed. Immediately, they all fell silent. "I'm going to go rescue her, no matter what anyone says or who comes along, okay?"

"Then, I'm in!" Kuwabara agreed. "I can have Eikichi fill me in on the marathon."

"I'm in, too," Kurama said. "I'm a sucker for true love."

"She's my grandniece, after all," Genkai said.

"Hn," was all that Hiei contributed. After all, he is a man of a few words. They took his grunt as a, "Yes, I'd be glad to help!"

"Then, let's go kick Yamiko's ass!" Yusuke exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air. He may have moved a little too soon though. Shooting pains ran through the place where Genkai had whacked him. "Ouch! Maybe we'll go in a little bit..." He sat back down, only to be whacked on the head by Genkai, yet again. "That's enough, you old hag!"

**-To Be Continued-**

**-Will the YYH gang be able to get there in time to save Avari? Will Yusuke even be able to stand up without feeling pain? What crazy outfits does Kashi have for Yamiko and Avari to wear at the ceremony? Find out next time on _The Power Locked Within!_**

**-A/n- Did everyone like that? Please review and let me know! Thanks to everyone who does review! I'm going to try and wrap up the series during the weekend, so be in store for a quick update!** **And a word to the wise, Use the Submit button!**


	18. Power Unleashed

**A/n- This has to be the quickest update in the history of my writing this fanfic! Anyway... Enjoy! There's only 1 more chapter left, guys!**

**Chapter 18: Power Unleashed**

"Oh, darling! You look positively ravishing!" Kashi commented rather excitedly. He scanned Avari's attire up and down.

She was clad in a deep teal kimono, embellished with tiny, embroidered orange flowers. The outfit was completed with an elaborately tied obi of light tangerine and sea-foam green striped fabric. It looked great, except for the added accessory of handcuffs. They had at least been nice enough to remove the balls and chains from her ankles.

"You don't look half bad yourself, Kashi," Avari stated. She had grown to like Kashi, since he was the only nice one in the bunch. He didn't seem the slightest bit evil. So then, why was he hanging around with her brother? She would have asked, but it didn't feel right. She suspected that they were _very _friendly towards each other.

She looked at his outfit and she had to admit, he really didn't look that bad. He wore a dark purple, button-down shirt with a black sports jacket, black pants with alternating pin-stripes of purple and green and his signature beret. Although, instead of a plain black one, he wore a flashy green beret ths time. Kashi really had a unique sense of style, but he did know how to coordinate colors.

"We had better get you down to the observatory, dear," Kashi said, finally. He took her by the arm and led her down the long, dim hallway. "It's too bad Yamiko has to kill you. I would have loved having a friend like you, sweets."

"Me, too," Avari said back quietly. She knew that she was a dead girl walking. Yamiko had his grasp on her and she couldn't do anything about it. She had tried several other times to use her spirit energy and break the chains, but it had failed each time. Like everything else, it was hopeless.

Once they had entered the observatory, Avari noticed all of the changes. The room was very dim, light only coming from the scattered candles and the full moon that shone through the glass ceiling. The moon's meek radiance reflected off of the weaponry hanging from the walls, causing them to give off a bone-chilling sheen. It also reflected off of the different colored potion bottles, making a rainbow of colors show on the wall. An eerie chill went down her spine.

On the platform that Avari had been restricted to the day before, was now a large cauldron. A fire was lit underneath of the large vat as steam rose from it. Were they going to make some sort of poison or potion during the ceremony? Or were they going to boil her and eat her like cannibals? Gross.

Kashi escorted Avari up onto the platform, positioning her next to the cast iron pot. Yep, they were going to cook her. What a way to go! In the afterlife, if someone asked how she died, she could say, "I was boiled in a pot and eaten by my brother!" Once again, gross!

"It was nice knowing you," Kashi said to her, quite sadly. "You were like the little sister I never had." He pulled her into a hug. She would have hugged him back, if it hadn't have been for the chains on her wrists.

"Same here, Kashi," Avari replied quietly, knowing that she was accepting her fate. Yamiko was going to kill her soon... But, why didn't she feel more scared? It was strange.

The monstrous double doors opened and in walked Yamiko, followed by a ban of forty or so minions. They were all clad in black robes. Avari could see their beady, red eyes staring back at her. That was another spine-chilling detail...

"Oh, Yami-kun!" Kashi replied excitedly, walking down the platform's stairs toward Yamiko. "You look amazing!"

Once again, Yamiko looked like a 15th century prince. He wore a light blue tunic this time with gray pants and a silvery, satin cape. The same black boots were on his feet, as they matched with any one of his outfits. Avari wanted to scream, "Learn to dress in the 21st century's fashions!" However, she didn't want to insult Kashi, for he was too nice.

"And you look... the same, Rem," Kashi continued, looking disappointed. But, he was right. Rem was wearing the same old dark blue cloak with teal edging and deep teal jumpsuit Avari had always seen him in. "You should mix it up a little now and then, Rem."

He took the words right out of Avari's mouth. Although, men normally tend not to care much for their looks, unless they're gay or conceited, he could have tried a little harder. Maybe change the colors of the clothing at the least! On the other hand, Kashi and Yamiko's infatuation with looks and clothing was understandable... to a certain extent.

Rem simply shrugged off the comment and took his place next to the cauldron on the platform. The minions took their places as well, some guarding the closed doors and others surrounding the platform.

"Let's get this whole shindig started then," Yamiko said, walked up onto the platform as well. He pointed to two of his minions. "Watch her every move."

The two minions proceeded to get on the platform and stood on either side of Avari. They strongly grasped her wrists with their scaly, clawed fingers. More chills went down her spine.

Kashi took a seat in a chair in the far corner. Avari guessed his job was done and that he was free to observe. If only he were nice enough to betray Yamiko and help her escape!

"So, what do we need to add to the potion?" Yamiko asked Rem, who was apparently the potions expert. Rem walked over to a pedestal that held a gargantuan book, and skimmed the page.

"Now that the water is boiling, we need to add the bone of an ancestor," Rem replied.

Yamiko reached into his pocket and retrieved a bone. It looked very dirty and still had some connective tissue on it. Avari cringed at the sight.

"I personally dug this out of your mother's grave," he sneered, looking at Avari with his penetrating blue eyes. He dropped the bone into the pot and watched as it produced orange smoke.

"You heartless bastard!" she exclaimed angrily, struggling against the minions' hold on her. How could he be so cruel as to disturb the dead? So much for "Rest in Peace." She felt anger rushing through her blood. How she wanted to strangle him...

"Feather of a vulture," Rem said, dropping a large, brownish feather into the cauldron. "Nearly had my eye pecked out getting this one." Green smoke rose from the boiling pot now.

"What next?" Yamiko questioned, gazing intently on the potion.

"Eye of newt," Rem answered, adding a rather peculiar looking object. It changed the smoke to a shade of pearly pink.

"Doesn't every potion call for that?" Yamiko said.

"Yes, it's one of the most basic ingredients in the art of potion brewing," Rem replied, as-a-matter-of-factly. He truly was a potion chemist genius. He knew his stuff. "Now, all we need is the blood of a virgin and the heirloom."

"I will take care of it from here," Yamiko said, gazing over at Avari again. She saw the evil glint in his eyes. He had been waiting for this moment for so long.

He reached into the pocket of his gray pants and pulled out a knife. It had an intricately decorated handle with many blue gems. The blade gleamed as the different lights reflected off of it.

Avari felt her heart sink and a pit form in her stomach. This was it. He was really going to kill her. She didn't know if he was going to slit her neck, her wrists or just plain mercilessly stab her. She felt herself begin to shake in fear as the demonic minions led her towards Yamiko and positioned her right in front of the cauldron.

Yamiko grabbed her right hand and turned it over so that her wrist was upward. He was about to press the blade into her skin and allow the blood to fall into the vat, but a loud commotion could be heard outside of the doors.

"This had better be the right room, you idiot!" a voice on the other side of the doors shouted. Avari knew that voice...

"I know it's the right one! My sixth sense hasn't failed me yet!" another voice called out in response. She knew that voice, too. It was huskier and deeper than the other one.

Suddenly, the double doors were swung open. The image before Avari left her stunned, but elated.

There, in the doorway, stood Kuwabara, Yusuke, Genkai, Hiei and Kurama. All of the minions that had been guarding the door were lying on the floor behind them, in pain.

At that moment, Avari's hope returned. Her friends were here to save her! She was going to live and Yamiko was going to get what he deserved! Everything was going to be okay.

"I see that your fan club came to watch the show," Yamiko said, observing the different characters before him.

"Sir, I suggest that you release the young female from your grasp to spare yourself some excruciating pain," Kurama warned, his emerald eyes darkening menacingly.

Avari felt very secure after he said these words. She hardly knew the guy, yet he seemed very protective of her. It was pretty cool. She would have considered him very attractive, but she wasn't sure which way he swayed. He looked too pretty... Maybe she could hook him up with Kashi... (Terribly sorry, Kurama fans! I couldn't help myself!)

"What does exshrooshiationing mean?" Kuwabara asked Hiei quietly. He scratched his head dumbly.

"Shut it, you oaf," Hiei said grumpily.

"Don't waste your brain cells," Genkai offered.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Yamiko said, answering to Kurama. He pressed the blade against the hyperventilating Avari's wrist, preparing to dig it in deeper. "Minions, grab the intruders and don't let go, or you'll lose your head!"

Quick as lightning bolts flash in the sky, four or five minions each raced over and held down each of Avari's friends. They quickly clamped chains onto each of them and stood guard, still grasping each of them by the wrists.

It was now that Yamiko decided to make him move. He pushed the blade into Avari's pale skin. She let out an ear-piercing scream that echoed throughout the room and made Yusuke want to cry.

The Spirit Detective had come all of this way to save his friend. Whether she considered him to be her friend or not, he didn't care. She was in danger and he had come to her rescue, but now, his hopes were crushed. She was in pain and he couldn't do anything to help her, despite how hard he was trying. They all might as well have been dead at that point.

They all watched as the blood ran down Avari's arm, dripping into the cast iron cauldron. She fell to her knees, clutching her wrist as her face scrunched up from the pain.

Yamiko didn't seem to care about her anymore. He watched as the smoke rising from the pot changed to a purple, the color he had been wanting to see this whole time. He dug into his pocket once more and brought out the artifact that had started this whole mess. The locket.

He carefully held the precious gem by the chain that it hang from and lowered it into the pot. After allowing for the gem to be fully submerged in the steaming liquid, he lifted it back out. He held it there, expecting something to happen.

Whole minutes went by. Everyone held their breath, waiting for something to appear out of oblivion. Would a genie come out and grant Yamiko three wishes? Or was the locket not even magical after all?

Yamiko let a few obscene words seep from his mouth. He threw the locket to the ground in frustration. Why wasn't it working! It was the right locket. He had examined it thoroughly. He had Rem make the potion, who was an expert at those things. He didn't understand what had gone wrong...

Unannounced and almost unnoticed, the locket began to give off a slight glimmer of airy amethyst. The light began to grow brighter and brighter. It soon came to the point where it lit the entire room, making everything a light shade of lavender. Everyone was frozen like a deer in headlights. All they could do was watch in awe.

The radiance of the purple gem grew even more luminous. It seemed to engulf the room in a violet haven. It shone so brightly that everyone had to cover their eyes at this point, for fear that if they looked at it for too long, they would surely go blind.

Avari squinted and looked through the slits in between her fingers at the glowing gem. She could faintly see misty figures rises out of the locket. They looked quite mystic and mysterious, but what the heck were they?

**-To Be Continued-**

**A/n- Sorry about the cliffy! Read the LAST installment of _The Power Locked Within_ to find out what is coming out of the locket and how everything wraps up. Will Yamiko gain the power to take over the world? And if they survive the situation, could Yusuke want to get back together with Avari? Check it out next time!**

**ALERT! ALERT! There is only ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! I should be posting the GRAND FINALE of the series sometime tomorrow or the next day. So, please review guys! Just for old times sake!**


	19. Trouble's End

**A/n- Well, it only took me two years to get here, but here it is... the _GRAND FINALE_ of _The Power Locked Within. _Read and review please!**

**Warning- This may be a bit of a tear jerker. Get your tissues ready! (I even cried as I was typing it!)**

**Chapter 19: Trouble's End**

The bright light coming from the amethyst gem soon began to fade into a more tolerable illumination. It was now easy for everyone to see what had come out of the locket.

In the air hovered wispy apparitions of people. They were all clad in lavender robes and had their hands folded in the most polite manner. All of the ghostly figures were at different stages in life, some being old and some young, and were a mixture of males and females. Despite these differences, they all shared similar characteristics. That is, they all had gleaming silver hair and stunningly purple eyes. Two of the faces stuck out the most to Avari.

They were her parents...

For a few moments, she seemed to forget her pain. She forgot how doomed her fate was and how much her wrist throbbed and how lightheaded she was getting from the loss of blood. She focused all of her attention on the smiling figures before her.

"Mom? Dad?" she whispered in wonder. Was it really them? Perhaps, their souls?

All of the minions, Yamiko and his sidekicks, Genkai and Team Urameshi, they all froze in place. Not a single person moved an inch. Everyone could only stare in awe at the outrageous spectacle before them. It wasn't everyday that you saw this many ghosts.

"Hey, sunshine," a middle-aged man with rimmed glasses said to Avari. He smiled gently as her. That had to be her father! Only he would call her "sunshine."

"What..." Avari began. She was cut off by a woman with delicate, flowing hair and a beautiful face that would make the prettiest flowers jealous.

"Our souls and power were put into the locket once we died," the woman said. This had to be her mother. She had answered Avari's question without even letting her voice it, which she had often done when she was alive. They had a very special mother-daughter bond. "These are your ancestors." Her mother gestured to the twenty or so spirits hovering behind her.

"Only the pure at heart can inherit this power," her father piped in. "And that's why we are giving it to you."

Avari felt her eyes begin to water. She was to touched at their generous offer... She was to inherit the family power! She could use it for the greater good, instead of Yamiko, who would use it for evil purposes. Her half-brother wasn't going to win after all! Everything was going to be fine now.

"Thank you..." she replied tearfully. She wanted to say more, but she was positively tongue-tied from all of the sudden events. This was the greatest gift she had ever been offered!

"I must warn you, sweetie. Receiving this power doesn't mean we're coming back to life. You will be absorbing our souls and our power," her father explained.

"But, we'll always be alive in here," her mother added, putting her hand over her heart.

"I love you, Mom, Dad," was all Avari could say. The tears started flowing down her flushed cheeks. She was so overwhelmed... She wanted to hug her parents, just one last time. But, that was impossible, of course.

"We love you, too, honey," her father said, smiling. Her mother nodded in agreement, positively beaming. She looked as if she was crying, too. "Are you ready?"

Avari nodded meekly.

All of the souls began to turn around in a circle, as if they were trying to make a whirl pool. They continued to increase their speed until they created a swirling vortex. A wind picked up, causing Avari's hair to flare out in disarray, as well as her kimono.

The ring of spirits engulfed Avari's body and lifted her off of her feet. One by one, the souls dematerialized into her being. Avari's body began to glow a beautiful, entrancing shade of violet as the spirits continued to be absorbed into her, single file.

After all of the spirits had become one with her body, the locket magically floated over to Avari. It clasped itself around her neck, as if claiming her it's owner. She was eased back to the ground, her kimono now a light lavender.

Avari felt stronger all of the sudden. All of her chains and wounds had disappeared. She felt no more pain, no more agony. Her loving family members were living through her, giving her more strength. It gave her great comfort to know that she was not alone.

"I guess we can see who's the family favorite, huh?" Yamiko sneered, obviously jealous.

"It's that kind of envy that lost you the family power, Yamiko! If you had been more loving and less cruel, we both might have gotten it," Avari said, her voice sounding very confident and full of courage.

"Plan on getting your sweet justice now, for all of those cruel things I did to you?" he continued, mockingly.

"Unlike you, I don't need to hurt my enemy to be satisfied! I believe in Karma! What evil you spread around, will come back to haunt you," Avari replied.

At those words, Yamiko lunged at her angrily. The knife he had stabbed her with before was in his hand, coming right for her. In the nick of time, Avari moved out of the blade's way, avoiding his attack and saving her life.

He continued to advance at her, wildly thrusting the knife in a mad rage. Luckily, she was able to read the path of his strikes and dodged swiftly. Although, she narrowly missed being hit every time.

"Spirit Dagger!" Avari cried, as a purple spirit energy dagger in her hand.

Although she had conjured this weapon numerous times in her life, she couldn't help but notice that this one looked slightly different. It was more solid and even brighter than usual. There was only one way to explain this. It was her family, giving her strength.

Wanting desperately to end the fight, she used her dagger to block another one of Yamiko's sloppy thrusts. She looked him straight in the eyes and noticed something. His once calm, blue eyes were now intensified, almost electrified. It must have been from all of the excitement of the fight. It was quite unlike him... He usually looked content and almost emotionless. Here, he was aroused strongly, almost looking insane.

Seeing the puny knife was no match for the dagger, Yamiko threw it aside. He put up his fists. He wanted to go for the more "hands on" approach to fighting.

Avari saw this and decided to do the same, to make the fight more fair. She was the kind of person who liked a good, clean fight. Using her dagger would make her feel as if she were cheating. Her weapon dematerialized and she put her fists up. She also positioned her feet into the traditional fighting stance.

This was going to be a piece of cake! Luckily, Martial Arts were a specialty of hers. She only spent 15 hours or more training every week for this type of thing. Yamiko was going to be in for a little surprise. He had no idea of her true fighting abilities, since they had never sparred each other.

Yamiko threw the first punch, right at her face. She moved back, using her quick ability to read his fist's path and her agility, just missing the hit.

In response, she threw a punch, hitting him square in the gut. He let out a groan from the sudden impact of her fist on his body. He winced slightly, but then looked unfazed.

Maybe she needed to kick it up a notch, as Chef Emeril Lagasse would say, and pull out the heavy artillery! This meant using her moves that really packed a punch, if you'll pardon the pun. She threw numerous punches at his face and chest at a rapid speed. She hit her target every time. As she punched, Yamiko moved further and further backwards from her hits.

She finally stopped punching and landed a kick in his sensitive area. He could have easily dodged or blocked it. That is, if he had not have been so dazed from all of the pain of previous hits. He doubled over, in pain and moaned in agony.

Avari, absorbed in the rush she was getting from the fight, conjured her dagger subconsciously. She held it in both hands and brought it over her head. It was ready to be brought down on the huddling Yamiko. Yet, something stopped her.

This wasn't like her! She wasn't one to kill and seek revenge! She didn't want to kill Yamiko. Yes, he had tortured and almost ruined her life completely, but he didn't deserve it. No, Karma had something different in store for him, for all of the bad he had committed. But, what?

She looked around for something, anything. All she saw was a bottle of pink potion, located on a shelf above the cowering Yamiko. Without hesitating, she grabbed the vial and uncorked the top. She didn't know what it would do, but she just hoped it wasn't a love potion. She poured the contents of the bottle all over Yamiko, who was hugging his knees in fear, and waited.

Nothing happened. He simply stared at her, his eyes looked clouded and confused. So much for that idea...

Wait! Yamiko began to glow a faint shade of gold... It grew brighter and brighter, until there was the sound of a _pop!_

Yamiko no longer sat before her. Instead, there was a creature hidden underneath the pile of his clothing. The creature popped its head out and let out a, "Quack?"

Yamiko had been changed into a duck! A real, live, feathered, waddling, web-toed duck!

Avari wanted to burst out laughing. Her brother had finally gotten what he deserved! She had to admit, seeing him as a duck made her like him a little more. It suited him well.

She felt a tight grip on her shoulder. It whirled her around. She came face to face with Rem.

He held a heavy book over her head. Before she could react, he swung it at her and it collided with her skull.

_'Not this again,'_ was her last thought, before she grew dizzy and all went black.

---------------------------------

Avari's eyelids snapped open. She shot up from her slumber, expecting to be on the marble floor of Yamiko's castle and surrounded by minions.

Except, she wasn't.

In fact, she wasn't even anywhere near or inside of Yamiko's castle. She was in her room, back at Genkai's temple. She was lying on her cushiony mattress, underneath of the cotton sheets in her favorite pink, polka-dotted pajamas. The sunlight shone brightly through her gauzy curtains. It made her feel comforted and warm inside.

How had she ended up here? Had the whole thing been a dream? Or had she died and this was heaven? She didn't know... The entire experience at Yamiko's had felt so real. And she was pretty sure heaven was a lot prettier than her messy room, what with all of the clothes and papers in disarray on the floor.

So, somehow she had ended up back home... and in her bed, asleep. But still, how? Maybe she should go look for Genkai or someone to clarify what exactly had happened...

After throwing on a bathrobe, she walked out of her room and down the hallway, into the kitchen. She expected to find at least Genkai and maybe Yusuke sitting at the kitchen table, but no one was there.

She searched the training ball, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, the living and dining rooms... Not a soul was in this house! Where had they all gone?

Ah ha! Maybe they were outside training! It did seem like a beautiful day. The sun had been shining through her window, after all. Who really wanted to be cooped up in a house if it was so gorgeous out?

Sliding the shoji screen back, she walked out onto the oaken engawa (A/n-It's like a porch.) that surrounded the entire temple. Immediately, she saw all of her friends and family. So, this is where they had been the entire time!

To her right, on the far side of the front yard, Kuwabara and Kurama were sparring. Kuwabara was getting his ass kicked by the invincible Kurama. On the porch steps, Yusuke and Genkai sat watching the match. Next to them, Avari was relieved to see Riley sitting down, looking very healthy and talking Hiei's ears off.

Genkai heard the sound of the shoji screen opening and looked over. Everyone else followed suit. Smiles spread over a majority of their faces. Kuwabara was in too much pain to notice her and Hiei just remained indifferent, although you could tell that he was pleased to see her awake.

Riley immediately jumped up from her seat and threw her arms around her best friend. Avari felt her bones cracking and her lungs being crushed as Riley hugged the life out of her. She hugged her back though. It had been so long since they had seen each other... Or both had been conscious to see the other.

"How did you...?" Avari began, but was cut off by her very chatty friend.

"They had that Red...no, Rem guy make an antidote for the poison once they arrested him," Riley replied perkily. "I'm _very_ glad to be back and I'm glad you're back, too. You were knocked out for a good week! Man, it was almost like we had switched places... Kind of weird, no? Well, since we're both alive now, I say was plan an FFA night some time this wee..."

"So, you guys must have busted their asses once I passed out, huh?" Avari asked the others, cutting off Riley. Her redheaded friend now silenced herself and sat down on the porch, pouting. Yep, Riley was her usual, bipolar self; perky one moment, upset the next.

"We sure did," she heard Yusuke reply. "I did most of the work." He gave Avari one of his cheesy, proud smiles. She just rolled her eyes.

"Nuh-uh! I took down like...twenty of those evil things in one swing of my sword!" Kuwabara yelled in protest.

"Sure, you did, Kuwabara," Yusuke said sarcastically.

"Hey, what ever happened to Kashi?" Avari asked thoughtfully.

"The gay guy? He's working as a fashion designer for JAPHASHION magazine. And the other one, Rem is in Spirit World's jails," Genkai answered her. She then took another sip from her teacup. "Yamiko's around her somewhere, probably playing with Puu."

"Oh, I'm glad. Kashi was the only nice one in the bunch," Avari said, smiling and took a seat on the porch steps along with everyone else. She would have to go pay Kashi a visit sometime. And Yamiko was apparently a part of the family now; being a duck and all made him more acceptable.

Now, there was silence. No one really had much else to say. They were all just thankful to be alive after the past week's events at Yamiko's castle. They could just enjoy life and peace now. Everyone watched Kurama and Kuwabara's match some more.

"Uh, Avari? Can we go some place and talk?" Yusuke said, quietly. Despite his low voice, everyone had still heard.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod.

"Aw, are you going to go make goo-goo eyes at each other?" Kuwabara joked.

Yusuke grew beet red at this and motioned for Avari to follow him, which she did.

She followed behind him to the back of the temple, away from all of the commotion and humiliation of the others. They sat down on a bench that was near the trickling pond. It was surrounded by hnudreds of blossoming flowers and left a strong perfume permeating through the air.

"So..." Avari started.

"Uh, I talked Koenma into giving you your job back," Yusuke said, getting straight to the point. He handed her a dark blue compact communicator.

She gratefully accepted it. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets in disbelief, as her jaw dropped. She opened the compact and examined the numbers and the screen. It was real... She really had her job back!

"Wow..." was all she could say for sometime, but eventually she found her tongue. "But, why? After the way I treated you and the soup incident, I thought you hated me. And why did you come to save me? Did Koenma assign it to you as a mission? Or am I missing something?"

"You're missing a _big_ something...Here it goes." Yusuke said, taking in a deep breath. "I took it upon myself to make sure I saved you. I did promise that I would protect you, didn't I?" He looked at her with those delicate, chocolate eyes and took her hands into his warm ones. "Look, I was wrong to have ever broken up with you. I've been doing so much thinking this week, while you were unconscious. I realized that I never did love Keiko. I just felt lonely when you shut me out. I felt that maybe it had been a mistake to have gone out with you. But, I was horribly wrong..."

At this point, Avari felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She hadn't been expecting any of this. The job, the protection he had given her, the confession... She felt so guilty after having treated him like dirt and throwing the soup at him. He didn't have to be so nice to her. She didn't deserve it.

"I guess what I'm trying to say, is that all along, I've been a fool. A fool in love, that is. I love, I love, I love _you _with all of my heart, every fiber of my being, Avari Raji. I would be honored and blessed if you would go back out with me. Please. I _need_ you to survive," he pleaded. His brown orbs penetrated into her own amethyst ones, searching into her soul for that one ray of hope. Oh, how he hoped she still loved him, if she ever had. Didn't she realize how much she had been killing him when she had frozen him out? It had really hurt... but, here he was, giving her a second chance to make things work again!

"Yusuke..." she started, looking down at her lap. She knew what her answer was going to be; she just didn't know how to go about saying it.

"I know we had our rough patch, but we can work through it this time," Yusuke said, trying to reassure her. He wanted, he needed her back. She was his only ray of sunshine in this sinful world.

"Look," she tried again. She grasped his hands firmly, but still didn't look at him. "You hurt me so bad last time, and I know that I hurt you, too." She looked up at him, her eyes red with tears again. "I don't want to hurt you again!"

"Well, you're hurting me right now," he whispered, looking down. He knew what she was going to say...

"Don't get me wrong. I care about you _so_ much. So much in fact, that it sometimes scares me," she said to him. She lifted up his chin with her hand so that he was now looking at her again. "I just don't think I'm ready yet. I've been through so much these past months. I still have a lot of things to work out with myself..."

"Let me work them out with you," Yusuke begged, gripping her hands harder.

"I _do_ love you. I want you to know that," she said, letting a few tears stream down her flushed cheeks. "But, as I said, I'm not ready."

"So, that's it?" Yusuke looked on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "We just forget about everything? I thought we had something _really_ special. You make me so happy, you know that? I've never felt this way before..." He ran his hand through her silvery, gleaming hair. She saw a glint in his eye. Was it a tear or a spark of affection?

"We _do_ have something special," she reassured him. "We have a _deep_ friendship. Even when I didn't consider you a friend, you still were there to protect me. I am so grateful for that..."

"But, I want to be more than friends," Yusuke admitted, his eyes turned red, too. Who knew that a tough guy like him would cry? "I want you to be _mine_." A single tear streamed down his cheek. "I know that sounds like I'm being greedy, but I have a right to be!"

"Someday." Avari gently wiped away the tear. "Someday, I promise. Until then, we can be friends."

"I guess I'll just have to wait," Yusuke finally agreed, looking crushed. "Being friends is better than being nothing." Even though it felt like a part of him was dying, he knew he would have to go with this compromise. She was worth it. They're relationship was worth it. He would wait forever if he had to.

"Thank you, Yusuke," Avari replied, tearfully. She pecked him on the cheek and pulled him into a tight hug. He thankfully squeezed her back.

"Oh, come on! You know you're meant for each other!" a peppy voice called out.

Avari and Yusuke released each other from their hug instantly. They looked over to see the entire gang standing behind Riley in some nearby bushes. They should have known. No one could ever get any privacy when the gang was together!

"Don't you all have something better to do?" Avari yelled.

"Nah," they all replied in unison.

Yusuke and Avari growled in aggravation. So, everyone had heard that entire confession and rejection... Great! Just great! And now, they would both be mocked mercilessly for weeks. Friends always had to be so cruel... but, they did these things out of love.

"PUU!" the entire group heard.

They all turned to see Puu, Yusuke's odd alter ego, flying over. Below him was a rather terrified duck, who just happened to be Yamiko. It appeared that the blue penguin was chasing the poor duck.

Everyone started cracking up at the sight. It wasn't everyday that you saw Puu tormenting an innocent duck! It seemed that this was Karma's true way of getting back at Yamiko. Avari wished she had a camera. This was priceless!

"I say we cook him for dinner. I could go for some duck," Kuwabara said, contemplating the thought of a roasted duck wing.

"Anyone for some foie gras?" Kurama said jokingly and let out a chuckle. (A/n-Foie gras is duck or goose liver. Gross!) Avari had to laugh at this one. Who knew that such a polite guy could crack a joke?

"Nah, how about we get some pizza?" Genkai offered. "You can go get it, dimwit." Yusuke turned to her in disbelief at the mention of his nickname.

"Why do I always have to get the food, grandma?" he complained.

"Because you're not the one paying for it! And I give you training for free, so don't even start with me!" Genkai barked and headed back towards the temple.

She left Yusuke looking rather guilty for putting up a fuss. He then followed behind her, as did everyone else.

"You know that Hiei guy? He's pretty cute, in an I'm-a-loner-and-I-have-gravity-defying-hair way. Mind it I add his name to the rape-able list?" Riley asked Avari, as they lingered behind the rest of the group. She noticed that Hiei looked back at them curiously. He probably heard his name mentioned.

"Be my guest," Avari replied happily. She finally felt like life was going back to normal, or as normal as it could get. She now had a duck to take care of, but he was definitely going to be an improvement from the brother she used to have.

Avari felt like this entire experience had filled up an empty spot inside of her. Things were going to be okay. Her half-brother would no longer be harassing her. Instead, she could harass him! This was going to be fun. She now possessed a new power that she could experiment with later. She gained a whole new group of friends and got back others. She had her old spy job back, making her feel like she had more purpose in life.

Above all of these things that rounded out her life, she felt like she had finally gotten some closure with her parents. She had finally gotten her chance to say goodbye, and that felt great. She still felt a little lost without them by her side, but she had Genkai... And, Riley and Yusuke and all of her other friends, too. They would be the comfort and confidence she needed to get past the sorrow and move on with her life. Someday, she might even be ready to get back together with Yusuke. But, until then, Life was good. It was all good.

**-Fin-**

**Last A/n- Well, there it is. My first fanfiction that I ever wrote is now complete! That was quite an experience. I had initially wanted to finished this in 2 months, but it ended up taking 2 years! I learned that I don't update as fast as I say I will. And I have also seen how my writing as progressed over these years. I read the first chapter before posting this and realized how crappy my writing was back then... and how crappy it still is. I mean, I read some of this stuff other people write and I'm like," Whoa! I wish I could write that good!" I still have TONS of room for improvement, but it was fun. I got to be really creative with this series and it was a fun learning experience. I don't think I am ever going to do another OC pairing though... I still can't help but wonder if people think Avari is a bit Mary Sue-ish? I don't really know. Adding OCs, to me, can mean some risky business. Now, I am going to go on hiatus for a while and focus on my demanding schedule as school starts! But, I WILL BE BACK in a few weeks with new one-shots and shorter series. That way I will update faster...maybe. I love and appreciate everyone who stuck it out with this series! Thanks so much for the encouraging reviews! Ta-ta for now!**

**Hey, Do you see that thing that says _'Submit Review'_ down there? Well, Click the GO! button next to it and write me something pretty! **


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